restaurateur

noun

res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər 

variants or less commonly restauranteur

ˌre-stə-ˌrän-ˈtər 

: 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

James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur and author Kwame Onwuachi has signed with Hollywood agency WME for representation in all areas. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025

In June, it was announced that reality TV star and restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump would open WOLF by Vanderpump on the seventh floor. —Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025

Those sentiments are shared by Daniel Atkinson, who co-founded the San Diego Tijuana International Jazz Festival last year with veteran Tijuana concert producer and restaurateur Julian Plascencia. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2025

Prompted by the reporting team’s scrutiny, one restaurateur even started giving money back to the SBA before the investigation was published. —Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 27 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for restaurateur

• entrepreneur
• amateur
• connoisseur
• kieselguhr
• monseigneur
• procureur
• retransfer
• saboteur
• silencer
• voyageur
• birr
• blur

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Kids Definition

restaurateur

noun

res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌres-tə-rə-ˈtər 

variants also restauranteur

-ˌrän- 

: a person who owns or runs a restaurant