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
The new storefront offers hope as Altadena‘s food scene struggles to regain its footing, with chefs and restaurateurs grappling with rebuilding efforts amid a lack of funds, minimal state and federal assistance, and delays from insurance companies.
—
Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
The man behind this restaurant chain — which first opened in Folsom in 2008 — is Jay Jayaraman, a Tamil restaurateur who draws inspiration from his Tamil Brahmin heritage and the land that nurtured him.
—Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Zip's Cafe celebrates 100 years of business this year − a rare feat for restaurateurs, especially nowadays.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2026
Karlitz, who is producing a talk at the NY Restaurant Show at the Javits Center on March 9, will host a panel with chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Simon Kim, Ayesha Nurdjaja, executive chef at Shuka and Shukette, and Eugene Remm, the restaurateur behind Catch Hospitality Group.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
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Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
The man behind this restaurant chain — which first opened in Folsom in 2008 — is Jay Jayaraman, a Tamil restaurateur who draws inspiration from his Tamil Brahmin heritage and the land that nurtured him.
—Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Zip's Cafe celebrates 100 years of business this year − a rare feat for restaurateurs, especially nowadays.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2026
Karlitz, who is producing a talk at the NY Restaurant Show at the Javits Center on March 9, will host a panel with chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Simon Kim, Ayesha Nurdjaja, executive chef at Shuka and Shukette, and Eugene Remm, the restaurateur behind Catch Hospitality Group.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for restaurateur
Cite this Entry
“Restaurateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restaurateur. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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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