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

See Examples For:

self-service

In Cambridgeshire, this includes mobile and self-service health checks, external in everyday settings.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

Customer-service operations still rely heavily on underpaid and poorly trained humans, leading to general dissatisfaction across all service metrics, including wait times and repeat calls, with consumers increasingly resorting to equally unsatisfactory self-service alternatives.

From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026

Under Rose’s drive to deploy technology, WPP recently launched a self-service version of its AI platform that will let small businesses create and publish ad campaigns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

I tap Kaila’s good hand with the ballpoint and motion to Mom, who’s moved on to straightening the stirrers and straws at the self-service station.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner