food service
noun
plural food services
1
a
: the activity or business of providing and serving food (as in a cafeteria or at an event)
It is unclear whether the [Museum of Fine Arts] plans to continue offering dining and event catering after July 1, or whether it intends to bring food service in-house or contract with a new vendor.—Dallas Gagnon
Anyone who has worked in food service understands how quickly operations can unravel during a rush.—Ken Corbit
… by the 1950s, food service was one of the leading retail industries in the United States …—Dorothy Sue Cobble
—often used before another nounfood service jobs/workers
Most residential colleges contracted a food service company to feed the students.—Michael Ruhlman
b
plural
: the activities involved in the business of food service
Several recent investigations have revealed that cost-cutting measures, such as outsourcing food services to private corporations …, have led to substandard food quality in prisons.—Jeffrey Ian Ross
c
: a business that prepares and serves food
… a retail food service specializing in low-carbohydrate foods.—The Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa)
The following restaurants and food services received perfect scores of 100 during their inspections …—Kaelyn Cassidy
Overall, they see food services [=the food-service industry] as a large growth sector.—Mary Ricks
2
: the serving of food
in-flight food service
Food service begins at 5 p.m. and goes until 7 p.m., or until the event runs out of BBQ and all the sides.—The Mitchell News-Journal (Spruce Pine, North Carolina)
Cite this Entry
“Food service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20service. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.
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