self-service
self-service — adjective
1. Describes shops, restaurants, or other places where people pick the items or foo
Describes shops, restaurants, or other places where people pick the items or food they want and pay at a counter, without help from a worker.
The hotel has a self-service breakfast area where guests get their own coffee and toast.
self-service + noun (breakfast area / restaurant / café)
Bao prefers self-service gas stations because they are quicker late at night.
The museum café is self-service, so visitors carry a tray to a window table.
Many self-service laundrettes in Taipei stay open until midnight.
The new self-service checkout lets you scan and pay without help from staff.
- self-serve
More casual; common in North American English for gas stations and buffets.
- serve-yourself
Less common but very literal; used mostly in written instructions.
- full-service
Used for gas stations or restaurants where staff assist you.
- table service
Specifically in restaurants where waiters bring food to your table.
文法句型
self-service + noun
be + self-service
用法筆記
Often placed before nouns such as shop, restaurant, checkout, or gas station. It can also follow the verb be, as in 'The café is self-service'.
常見錯誤
self-service — noun
1. A system in shops, restaurants, or fuel stations where customers take what they
A system in shops, restaurants, or fuel stations where customers take what they need and pay at a till or by card, without a staff member serving them.
Self-service has become common in fast-food restaurants around the world.
uncountable noun as subject
Shirin finds self-service convenient when she only needs a few items from the supermarket.
The store switched to self-service to reduce the number of staff at the checkout area.
At the library, Sari uses self-service to scan and borrow books without waiting for help.
The café introduced self-service for drinks to speed up the morning rush.
- self-serve
Informal equivalent, especially in North American English.
- DIY service
Broader term that includes self-service in non-retail contexts.
- table service
Used for restaurants where waitstaff take orders and bring food.
- assisted service
Formal term for staffed service, often used in retail training materials.
文法句型
self-service + verb (singular)
switch to / introduce / offer + self-service
用法筆記
Uncountable — do not say 'self-services'. Often used in business descriptions of how a store or restaurant operates.