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

Add to that economy-wary customers who aren’t dining out as much, plus rising costs for food, rent, labor and insurance, and what many restaurateurs considered the worst summer on record for the industry, and the result is a lot of closings. —Miami Herald, 22 Dec. 2025

And perhaps just as important, Homestead has seeded a community of farmers, grocers, restaurateurs, and even winemakers. —Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2025

What excites these chefs and restaurateurs is that there’s still room to grow. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Dec. 2025

This time around, fan-favorite chef Jeff Mauro is joined by chef and restaurateur Tiffany Derry. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "restorer, proprietor of a restaurant," going back to Middle French, "restorer," borrowed from Latin restaurātor, from restaurāre "to return to its former condition, restore" + -tor, agent suffix

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