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 The consejos have selected restaurateur Augie Cortez for the following year’s throne. — Brian Chasnoff, ExpressNews.com, "Fiesta flap leads to reversal of controversial land sale," 12 Feb. 2020 Other Chinatown restaurateurs reported quiet restaurants and fewer tourists than usual. — Natasha Frost, Quartz, "Coronavirus rumors are hurting Chinatowns around the world," 6 Feb. 2020 So some restaurateurs have started hiring consultants to diagnose their sonic ailments and prescribe a variety of architectural tweaks and sound-absorbing decor. — Chris Berdik, Popular Science, "It’s not just you: Restaurants have gotten too loud. But there are some fixes.," 28 Jan. 2020 On the ground floor is Vernick Fish from James Beard Award–winning chef Greg Vernick, and on the top floor is the latest from celebrated chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten. — Regan Stephens, Fortune, "The New Four Seasons Brings a Pair of Star-Chef Restaurants to Philadelphia," 4 Aug. 2019 Karen Leibowitz, 40, an author and restaurateur, falls into the category of the Confirmation Seeker. — Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, "Confessions of an Open House Addict," 5 Jan. 2018 Flavor: Get the best food newsletter in Houston sent directly to your inbox The annual event is a way to involve both restaurateurs and attendees to benefit Armor of Hope Foundation (www.armorofhopefoundation.org). — Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, "Katy Taste Fest — a festival that gives back," 16 Jan. 2020 The pair of industry veterans bought a business from an aging restaurateur and set about transforming it into the kind of casual, neighborhood French joint that’s easy to sink into. — Dominic Armato, azcentral, "Looking for a traditional French restaurant in metro Phoenix? Try this Scottsdale bistro," 30 Dec. 2019 Larry Bongiovanni Bongiovanni, a longtime area restaurateur and founder of the popular local Italian restaurant chain Salvatore Scallopini, died May 8 at the age of 82. — Micah Walker, Detroit Free Press, "In memoriam: A look back at who Michigan lost in 2019," 26 Dec. 2019

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.