A "buffet" is a way of serving food at a restaurant, hotel, event, etc. All of the food is laid out on tables or in special serving carts. Customers or guests walk up to the food and take whatever they want.

When people think of a "buffet", they usually think of an "all you can eat buffet". At this kind of restarant, customers pay one price but can eat as much food as they want.

Some common types of buffets are:

• a breakfast buffet
• a Chinese buffet
• a pizza buffet
• an Indian buffet

There are some other types of foods that are served in the same way, but aren't called "buffets":

• a salad bar
• a pasta bar