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
Padró, a restaurateur who recently stepped down as CCG’s CEO, said the concepts are closing because of personal reasons involving De Souza and Younggreen, who operated the businesses.
—
Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
The popularity of Bar Panisse perhaps dispels one fear the restaurateurs might’ve had – that the place would be shunned by the community, after Waters terminated the lease of longtime tapas restaurant Cesar to make space for her new endeavor.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
The food hall is being developed in partnership with McClain Camarota Hospitality, the restaurant group of James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
The crowd is a smart mix of stylists, hoteliers, shop owners, restaurateurs, students, tastemakers, and creative directors, alongside the usual magazine editors, museum curators, artists, and gallerists.
—Katherine McGrath, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for restaurateur
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
The popularity of Bar Panisse perhaps dispels one fear the restaurateurs might’ve had – that the place would be shunned by the community, after Waters terminated the lease of longtime tapas restaurant Cesar to make space for her new endeavor.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
The food hall is being developed in partnership with McClain Camarota Hospitality, the restaurant group of James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
The crowd is a smart mix of stylists, hoteliers, shop owners, restaurateurs, students, tastemakers, and creative directors, alongside the usual magazine editors, museum curators, artists, and gallerists.
—Katherine McGrath, Vogue, 7 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 15 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
