Final answer:
The term for a help-yourself all-you-can-eat meal is a buffet, which allows diners to serve themselves from a variety of selections.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that frequently refers to a help-yourself all-you-can-eat meal is buffet. A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve themselves. This is different from a la carte, where customers order separately priced items from a menu, prix fixe, which is a meal of several courses served at a fixed total price, and a banquet, which refers to a large, formal, sit-down meal that involves multiple courses served to all guests.