restaurateur

noun

res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər How to pronounce restaurateur (audio)
variants or less commonly restauranteur
: the operator or proprietor of a restaurant

Did you know?

Restaurateur Has French Roots

Restaurateur and restaurant are French words from Latin restaurare, meaning "to restore." Of the two words, restaurant is more common—a fact that may have influenced the development of the variant spelling restauranteur for restaurateur. Some people consider restauranteur to be an error, but it is still on the menu as an acceptable word choice.

Examples of restaurateur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For Chodorow, whose father is the restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, known for the bygone hot spots Asia de Cuba and China Grill, getting a table at Rao’s is fairly easy. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 From the Super Bowl to the steakhouse: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are becoming restaurateurs. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024 The restaurateur was born in Spain and moved out of his parents’ home at 15, funding his independence with hospitality work. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The restaurateur spoke with PEOPLE about being diagnosed with autism later in life and opened up about her mental health struggles Sarma Melngailis says she's always felt different from other people. Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The mall’s influence and direct role in the local immigrant food economy has been felt far and wide — from its customers to incipient entrepreneurs — and has had ripple effects on restaurateurs’ successes. Caroline Shin, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Though an entirely new concept, Peridot is the brainchild of Watershed Hospitality Group and Duc Tang, longtime Ann Arbor restaurateurs. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Adaptive And Responsive While all of these adaptations are important, restaurateurs should assess what changes your establishment needs the most. Craig Dunaway, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Pizzeria Romana at 533 Lincoln Road opened in January and is from the restaurateur behind nearby Rosinella Italian Trattoria on the promenade. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'restaurateur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French restaurateur, from Late Latin restaurator restorer, from Latin restaurare

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of restaurateur was in 1796

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Dictionary Entries Near restaurateur

Cite this Entry

“Restaurateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restaurateur. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

restaurateur

noun
res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌres-tə-rə-ˈtər How to pronounce restaurateur (audio)
variants also restauranteur
: a person who owns or runs a restaurant
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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