self-service

American  

[self-sur-vis] / ˈsɛlfˈsɜr vɪs /

Also self-serve

noun

1. the system of serving oneself in a restaurant, shop, gas station, or other facility, without the aid of a waiter, clerk, attendant, etc.

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adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a cafeteria, store, etc., designed for the patron or customer to gather food or merchandise from a display counter or shelves without the aid of attendants and pay at a cashier's desk upon leaving.

2. of, for, or pertaining to something designed to be used or enjoyed without the aid of an attendant.

   self-service banking; self-service elevators.

self-service British  

adjective

1. of or denoting a shop, restaurant, petrol station, etc, where the customer serves himself

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noun

1. the practice of serving oneself, as in a shop, etc

Etymology

Origin of self-service

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Between sessions, conversation inevitably turns to how things got this way: the fracturing of the consumer landscape, the rise of the subscription model, the corporate pivot from “service” to “self-service.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Skip the massages and instead focus on the facilities: complimentary self-service masks and scrubs make it easy to relax and indulge in the spa experience.

From Salon

His efforts have included remodelling stores to revamp seating and bringing back self-service condiment bars.

From BBC

Berlin Brandenburg Airport is asking travellers to use online or self-service check-in instead of the desks while the outage is ongoing.

From BBC

Tesco said it had rolled out the technology across some of its stores in a bid to help customers using self-service checkouts to identify if an item hasn't scanned properly.

From BBC