Definition of RESTAURATEUR

Restaurateur Has French Roots

Restaurateur and restaurant were borrowed directly from related French words, and both ultimately derive from the Latin word restaurare ("to restore"). Restaurateur is the older of the two; our earliest evidence dates it to 1793. Restaurant is only slightly newer; it dates to 1806. Of the two words, restaurant is of course significantly more common—a fact that may have influenced the development of the variant spelling restauranteur for restaurateur. Restauranteur first appeared a mere 44 years after restaurateur, but it is considered by many to be an error. It is, however, a standard variant, albeit one that continues to be used less frequently than restaurateur.

Examples of restaurateur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a restaurateur, Ms. Martin continues to hone that style of hospitality with 21st-century diners in mind. — Kathleen Squires, WSJ, "How to Host a Dinner Like a Pro," 14 Feb. 2019 Jerry Morales, the mayor of Midland, Texas, and a local restaurateur, is being whipsawed by the latest Permian Basin shale-oil boom. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Shale country is out of workers. That means $140,000 for a truck driver and 100% pay hikes," 8 June 2018 The modern Italian joint, a full-service, sit-down restaurant located inside the Pizitz Food Hall is the brainchild of chef Akhtar Nawab, a New York City-restaurateur who trained under famed chef Tom Colicchio, founder of Gramercy Tavern. — Julia Sayers, AL.com, "Try this innovative Italian restaurant in the Pizitz Food Hall," 7 Feb. 2018 For fledgling restaurateurs, food halls double as incubators, a low-stakes method of tinkering with business models and experimenting with food that can ultimately serve as a fast track to success. — Bethany Biron, Vox, "The food court’s younger, hipper cousin is a curated version of the mall staple.," 30 Oct. 2018 For restaurateurs, counter service makes fine dining — or something like it — profitable. — New York Times, "San Francisco Restaurants Can’t Afford Waiters. So They’re Putting Diners to Work.," 25 June 2018 The restaurateur models his in front of his own Warhol portrait. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Want a Limited Edition Warhol-Inspired Tee? You’ll Have to Work for It," 15 Nov. 2018 So Callanan and Holzman accompanied the restaurateur to bankruptcy court on Friday - as a show of support. — Avi Selk And Travis M. Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "A nun begged Katy Perry not to buy her convent — then collapsed and died," 11 Mar. 2018 Culinary-school graduates are no exception, even at top-tier restaurants in expensive cities, a number of restaurateurs say. — Katy Mclaughlin, WSJ, "A Reckoning With the Dark Side of the Restaurant Industry," 12 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'restaurateur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.