The building blocks of English

Affixes

-teria

Also ‑ateria and ‑eteria.

A self-service establishment.

The final element of cafeteria, from Latin American Spanish cafetería, a coffee shop.

This ending is rather variable in form, and some terms using it have been formed irregularly. The first example, in North America at the beginning of the twentieth century, was groceteria (sometimes grocerteria), a small self-service grocery store, a term that is now only historical; the only example in common use today is washeteria (also commonly washateria in parts of the US), another name for a laundrette.