Canteen is a place where food is provided but there is little or no waiting staff table service. Canteen is called mess or refectory. Canteen has food serving counters or stalls. Customers take the food they require as they walk along, placing it on a tray. Free second servings are often allowed under this system. Customers are either charged a flat rate for admission or pay at the check-out for each item. Some self-service cafeterias charge by the weight of items on a patron's plate. As canteens require few employees, they are often found within a larger institution, catering to the clientele of that institution. For example, schools, colleges and their residence halls, department stores, hospitals, museums, military bases, prisons, etc. canteens are often contracted to outside. Canteens in organizations or factories are very important and have to follow certain rules. Canteen is one of the most important constituents of factories act, 1948.
Factories act, 1948 added a section 46 on canteen in the chapter V on welfare. According to this,
(1) The State Government may make rules requiring that in any specified factory wherein more than 250 workers are ordinarily employed, a canteen or canteens shall be provided and maintained by the occupier for the use of the workers.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for - (a) The date by which such canteen shall be provided; (b) The standards in respect of construction, accommodation, furniture and other equipment of the canteen; (c) The foodstuffs to be served therein and the charges which may be made therefor; (d) The constitution of a managing committee for the canteen and representation of the workers in the management of the canteen; 1(dd) the items of expenditure in the running of the canteen which are not to be taken into account in fixing the cost of foodstuffs and which shall be borne by the employer; (e) The delegation to the Chief