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 Justice Department lists recent examples: On Dec. 1, 2020, a New York City restaurateur was sentenced to 24 months in prison for tax evasion. — Robert W. Wood, Forbes, "Sober IRS Warnings On Tax Crimes Before Filing Your Taxes," 9 Apr. 2021 Being a restaurateur for most of his life, Toskov was a little nervous at first about entering the medical cannabis business, but those fears were quickly allayed. — John Coffren, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Sun’s Best Readers’ Choice: Medical Marijuana Contest — Best Dispensary is Green Point Wellness," 1 Apr. 2021 Gina Champion-Cain, a once high-profile restaurateur who orchestrated a nearly $400 million Ponzi scheme involving hundreds of victims, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Judge orders Champion-Cain to spend 15 years in prison for $400M Ponzi scheme," 31 Mar. 2021 Charles Pierre, a restaurateur who had grown up in Corsica, had persuaded some of the city’s wealthiest residents to fund the construction of the hotel. — Jennifer Gonnerman, The New Yorker, "Behind the Scenes at a Five-Star Hotel," 15 Mar. 2021 In Marin County, a restaurateur recently got more than 5,000 signatures in support of a petition that argued outdoor dining should be reinstated. — Justin Phillips, SFChronicle.com, "San Francisco restaurant owners join wave suing the state and counties over permit fees," 13 Jan. 2021 Fresh Off the Boat, helped raise the profile of the chef, restaurateur and all-around renaissance man, especially after it was adapted into a long-running sitcom. — Keith Phipps, Rolling Stone, "What to Watch in March: ‘Godzilla vs. Kong,’ New MCU Series and Prince Akeem Returns to America," 28 Feb. 2021 Rollins initially relocated to Houston in 2000 to work for a makeup company, but eventually segued into his dream career as a chef and restaurateur. — Joanna O'leary, Chron, "These Houston culinary power couples know how to cook up romance," 11 Feb. 2021 In addition to her brother, Matt, Tarses is survived by her partner, Paddy Aubrey, a chef and restaurateur; their two children, Wyatt and Sloane; her parents; and a sister, Mallory Tarses, a teacher and fiction writer. — Brooks Barnes New York Times, Star Tribune, "Trailblazing TV executive Jamie Tarses dies at 56; developed 'Friends' and other hits," 3 Feb. 2021

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.