family-styleadj.adv.
/ˈfam(ᵻ)lɪˌstʌɪl/, /ˈfaml̩ɪˌstʌɪl/, U.S. /ˈfæm(ə)liˈˌstaɪl/ Originally and chiefly U.S.
A. adj.
1. Originally: (of food in a restaurant) prepared or served in a style reminiscent of home cooking; spec. served on a shared plate, etc., from which diners help themselves. Later: (of a meal) consisting of dishes shared in this way; (now frequently) designating a restaurant featuring meals served in this manner.
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the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [adjective] > served in specific way
à la Française1823
à la Russe1855
family-style1857
on the half-shell1860
plated1970
1857 Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 15 Dec. (advt.) Dinner bill... Cooked to Order... Salt Codfish, family style.
1911 Indianapolis Star 7 Nov. 16/1 (advt.) Family style chicken pot pie... This is the tempting special noonday lunch in our restaurant today.
1914 Iola (Kansas) Daily Reg. 12 May 3/3 (advt.) Try our family style dinner 12 to 1 p.m.
1977 Princeton Alumni Weekly 5 Dec. 12/3 For an hour everyone sits around two large tables in the dining room for a family-style meal.
2012 M. Tully Searching for Hope xix. 179 Thatcher had decided they would benefit from a family-style restaurant, one where they would have to share from plates of food.
2. Designed for or aimed at families with children; suitable for all members of the family, including children. Cf. family adj. 3a.
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1922 Daily Kennebec Jrnl. (Augusta, Maine) 14 Sept. 4/7 (headline) Family style tourist sleeping cars with 7 rooms, capacity 5.
1943 Billboard 20 Nov. 17/2 On the basis of family style vaudeville, Fun is a good show.
1964 Star Weekly (Toronto) 19 Dec. 14/1 We'd like to see a broader approach to snowmobiling as a family-style sport.
1986 M. E. Kann Middle Class Radicalism Santa Monica v. The blending of old and new was to include..an amusement area, a children's play area, family-style arcades, an adjacent park, [etc.].
2011 Express & Echo (Exeter) (Nexis) 1 July 23 The free event, which starts at noon, will also include a range of family-style entertainments, including a bouncy castle.
B. adv.
With reference to a meal, esp. in a restaurant: with the food on shared plates from which diners help themselves.
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1892 Republican Press (Ukiah, Calif.) 4 Mar. 2/5 (advt.) Elite Restaurant... Meals Served Family Style.
1897 Emporia (Kansas) Daily Gaz. 24 Apr. 1/2 She has just begun taking boarders and puts everything on the table—family style.
1914 Iola (Kansas) Daily Reg. 12 May 3/3 (advt.) Meals set family style 25c, or $4 a week.
1998 D. Danvers Circuit of Heaven 46 The food was laid out ‘family style,’ as Mom called it.
2011 Time Out N.Y. 10 Feb. 22/1 Known for Peking duck and pan-regional specialties served family-style, this Chinese spot is perfect for kicking off your..meal.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.adv.1857