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

These are the offices of Evoke Creative, which makes self-service terminals, the sort of things you see popping up everywhere from McDonald's to your local library.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

He cut costs elsewhere, replacing front-desk attendants with self-service check-in on iPads, for example.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

“But it is still early days as self-service launched only in late 2025.”

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

A total of 90% of the calls are now resolved by self-service options or callbacks.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 20, 2026

Those taught the lessons of subordination are oft timid in the school of self-service.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson