counterman

American  

[koun-ter-man] / ˈkaʊn tərˌmæn /

noun

plural

countermen

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

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Etymology

Origin of counterman

First recorded in 1850–55; counter ¹ + man

Example Sentences

Before he moved in the late 1960s to San Francisco, where he started acting at the American Conservatory Theater, he worked as a counterman at several New York delicatessens.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2023

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

Walk into Miller’s Paints in Bangor, in the north of the county, and there are two examples: the owner, Duane Miller, 80, and the counterman, Dalton Tucker, 20.

From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2018

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 brought the food to their booth.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte