buffet style

Meaning

'Buffet style' refers to a system of serving meals where food is placed in a public area and diners serve themselves. It is commonly used at weddings, parties, and large hotel breakfasts. It allows guests to choose exactly what and how much they want to eat.

Examples

• The wedding reception was catered buffet style, so everyone got what they liked.

  The wedding reception was catered buffet style, so everyone got what they liked.

• I prefer buffet style dining because I can try a little bit of everything.

  I prefer buffet style dining because I can try a little bit of everything.

• We decided to set up the party food buffet style in the kitchen.

  We decided to set up the party food buffet style in the kitchen.

• Is the breakfast at the hotel served buffet style or à la carte?

  Is the breakfast at the hotel served buffet style or à la carte?

• Serving dinner buffet style is much easier when hosting a large group of people.

  Serving dinner buffet style is much easier when hosting a large group of people.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The dinner was served buffet type.

  ✓ The dinner was served buffet style.

  While 'type' makes logical sense, the standard English idiom is 'buffet style'.

• ✗ We ate at a self-service style restaurant.

  ✓ We ate at a buffet style restaurant.

  Although 'self-service' is correct, 'buffet style' is the far more common and natural way to describe this specific food setup.

Related Expressions

Practice

• At the conference, lunch will be served ___, so feel free to line up when you're ready.

  💡 Guests serve themselves from a shared table.

  Show answer

  buffet style

• Hosting a dinner ___ is much less stressful than serving individual plates.

  💡 A self-service dining setup.

  Show answer

  buffet style