restaurateur
noun
res·tau·ra·teur
ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər 
variants
or less commonly restauranteur
: the operator or proprietor of a restaurant
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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
There’s Esther Eng, an early 20th-century film auteur, her movies now mostly lost, whose fluency with the group dynamics of creating cinema translates to a second act as a New York restaurateur.
—
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
Though the Waterfront Reinvestment Program will invest in repairing boardwalks, decks, and docks to allow continued visitor access, the city’s response to Rio City Cafe have left residents skeptical about the call for restaurateurs in the Steamers Building.
—Calista Oetama, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2025
The chef and restaurateur turned Vice star turned The Bear producer and actor grew up here, but now lives with his wife and three kids in neighboring Ridgeway, about 10 minutes away.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
The participants include the restaurateur Danny Meyer, the Manhattan Institute president Reihan Salam, the former deputy mayor Howard Wolfson, and the political scientist and podcaster Christina Greer.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 June 2025
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Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
Though the Waterfront Reinvestment Program will invest in repairing boardwalks, decks, and docks to allow continued visitor access, the city’s response to Rio City Cafe have left residents skeptical about the call for restaurateurs in the Steamers Building.
—Calista Oetama, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2025
The chef and restaurateur turned Vice star turned The Bear producer and actor grew up here, but now lives with his wife and three kids in neighboring Ridgeway, about 10 minutes away.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
The participants include the restaurateur Danny Meyer, the Manhattan Institute president Reihan Salam, the former deputy mayor Howard Wolfson, and the political scientist and podcaster Christina Greer.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 June 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 6 Jul. 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
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