restaurateur
noun
res·tau·ra·teur
ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər 
variants
or less commonly restauranteur
: 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
Vince is the screwup, a mostly-former drug and gambling addict, while Jake is a successful restaurateur, running the eponymous club/restaurant Black Rabbit in Manhattan.
—
Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
With more than 900 locations across 42 states, Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves recently earned the title of the country’s richest restaurateur, with a net worth of $22 billion.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
The restaurateur was the first chef featured on her show Selena + Restaurant, a spinoff of Selena + Chef.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
The Bucks brought in chef and restaurateur Justin Carlisle of Ardent fame to curate the menu.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restaurateur
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Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
With more than 900 locations across 42 states, Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves recently earned the title of the country’s richest restaurateur, with a net worth of $22 billion.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
The restaurateur was the first chef featured on her show Selena + Restaurant, a spinoff of Selena + Chef.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
The Bucks brought in chef and restaurateur Justin Carlisle of Ardent fame to curate the menu.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restaurateur
Cite this Entry
“Restaurateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restaurateur. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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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