食券(しょっけん)

しょっけん
noun
meal ticket; food voucher
food
1. meal ticket; food voucher
A ticket purchased from a vending machine at a restaurant that serves as both your order and payment. Very common at ramen shops, gyudon chains, and cafeterias in Japan.
食券(しょっけん)を買(か)ってください。
Please buy a meal ticket.
入口(いりぐち)の券売機(けんばいき)で食券(しょっけん)を買(か)う。
Buy a meal ticket at the vending machine by the entrance.
When you enter a ramen shop, first buy a meal ticket and hand it to the staff.

A key concept for anyone visiting Japanese restaurants. Many casual eateries — especially ramen shops, 牛丼(ぎゅうどん) chains, and 社員食堂(しゃいんしょくどう) (company cafeterias) — use a ticket vending machine (券売機(けんばいき)) system where you pay for your meal upfront and hand the ticket to the staff.

Common collocations

Related words