restaurateur
noun
res·tau·ra·teur
ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər 
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
Cookbook author, restaurateur and chef Melissa Martin views cooking as a heartfelt nod to coastal Louisiana, where she was born and raised.
—
Dontaira Terrell, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The 17th-floor restaurant on top of the Sinclair, Autograph Collection hotel is now open as Nikuya Rooftop, a sushi restaurant from the same local restaurateurs behind the first-rate Wicked Butcher steakhouse.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025
Top Chef winner, restaurateur, and cookbook author Kelsey Barnard Clark shared her great-grandmother’s sweet potato casserole recipe with us.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
When college professor Ellen and restaurateur Paul host their 25th anniversary party, Josh introduces them to his new girlfriend Liz (Phoebe Dynevor).
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restaurateur
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dontaira Terrell, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The 17th-floor restaurant on top of the Sinclair, Autograph Collection hotel is now open as Nikuya Rooftop, a sushi restaurant from the same local restaurateurs behind the first-rate Wicked Butcher steakhouse.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025
Top Chef winner, restaurateur, and cookbook author Kelsey Barnard Clark shared her great-grandmother’s sweet potato casserole recipe with us.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
When college professor Ellen and restaurateur Paul host their 25th anniversary party, Josh introduces them to his new girlfriend Liz (Phoebe Dynevor).
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restaurateur
Cite this Entry
“Restaurateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restaurateur. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
restaurateur
noun
res·tau·ra·teur
ˌres-tə-rə-ˈtər
variants
also restauranteur
: a person who owns or runs a restaurant
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share