restaurateur

noun

res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər How to pronounce restaurateur (audio)
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 Pizzeria Romana at 533 Lincoln Road opened in January and is from the restaurateur behind nearby Rosinella Italian Trattoria on the promenade. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Others featured will be semifinalists in the emerging chefs, outstanding restaurants, restaurateurs, outstanding bakers and best new restaurants categories. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 The restaurateur is from Sichuan, a Chinese province known for its spicy cuisines, but also became a naturalized Singapore citizen. Yue Wang, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Farren had tried to connect Grosse, the only restaurateur currently linked to the program, with four previous graduates (Trio Community Meals, which primarily feeds senior homes, has also hired program participants). Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 The restaurateur said the U.K.’s departure from the EU led to a shrinking supply of hospitality workers, which increased staffing costs, and also created burdensome supply chain issues. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 20 Feb. 2024 The restaurateur Nicole Ponseca, the daughter of Filipino immigrants who settled in Southern California, remembers non-Filipinos mocking her father for picking up food with his bare hands. Ligaya Mishan Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 The restaurateur spoke with PEOPLE about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's time at the restaurant with Bublé, 48, and Lopiloto, 36, on Thursday — ahead of the singer's fun day with the couple at the Invictus Games One Year to Go celebration a day later. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024 Sensing our mass discontent over the last decade, restaurateurs have populated nearly every corner of the DMV with ramen shops. Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'restaurateur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French restaurateur, from Late Latin restaurator restorer, from Latin restaurare

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of restaurateur was in 1796

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Dictionary Entries Near restaurateur

Cite this Entry

“Restaurateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restaurateur. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

restaurateur

noun
res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌres-tə-rə-ˈtər How to pronounce restaurateur (audio)
variants also restauranteur
: a person who owns or runs a restaurant
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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