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

Vince is the screwup, a mostly-former drug and gambling addict, while Jake is a successful restaurateur, running the eponymous club/restaurant Black Rabbit in Manhattan. —Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025

With more than 900 locations across 42 states, Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves recently earned the title of the country’s richest restaurateur, with a net worth of $22 billion. —Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025

The restaurateur was the first chef featured on her show Selena + Restaurant, a spinoff of Selena + Chef. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

The Bucks brought in chef and restaurateur Justin Carlisle of Ardent fame to curate the menu. —La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 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