counterman

American  

[koun-ter-man] / ˈkaʊn tərˌmæn /

noun

• countermen
  plural

1. a person who waits on customers from behind a counter, as in a cafeteria.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• countermen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of counterman

First recorded in 1850–55; counter ¹ + man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counterman countermen

I walked into the place, where an older counterman greeted me and quickly filled my order.

From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2021

As he launched his acting career, Mr. Constantine supported himself by working as a night watchman at a department store, counterman at a hamburger chain and barker at a shooting gallery.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2021

“They always come here on the last day,” the counterman observed, when his patrons had trundled into the cold.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2015

But from your counter seat, you can observe the counterman make egg creams the old-fashioned way, by spritzing rapidly stirred cold milk and syrup with a jet of seltzer from a bottle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2014

The counterman emerged from the kitchen at the rear and sized them up expertly.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

Harvey was known for his Yiddish-speaking Puerto Rican countermen and for serving deliciously seasoned chopped meat on white bread.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2016

The politician asked the countermen at Town Hall to recreate the sandwich.

From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2015

Mr. Addis and his two longtime countermen, Lewis Spada and Alex Ortiz, provide high-end, exceptional service in a low-key, familiar way.

From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2011

The waiters at the Waldorf-Astoria, the Stork, or even Maxim's, serve no greater variety of customers than the countermen at John's Diner on Fulton Street in Brooklyn.

From Time Magazine Archive

Arnie Weinstein took to frequenting the townie bars, where he attempted to discuss Marxist theory with hostile countermen.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt