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
Among those confirmed to play are former Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, golf great Colin Montgomerie, restaurateur Simon Kim, and chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Geoffrey Zakarian and Kwame Onwuachi.
—
Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026
But as their customer base expanded, restaurateurs began adapting their menus to appeal to a broader public.
—Ashley Rose Young, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 June 2026
Back to fine dining, there’s chef-restaurateur Ken Oringer’s Toro, where visitors from near and far wait for hours to enjoy the Barcelona-style tapas and pintxos, and Spanish wines and sherries.
—Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026
The married duo of restaurateur Tracy Vaught and chef Hugo Ortega has made an indelible mark on Space City’s dining scene, populating Houston with Mexican restaurants that each tackle different subgenres of the cuisine.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 June 2026
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Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026
But as their customer base expanded, restaurateurs began adapting their menus to appeal to a broader public.
—Ashley Rose Young, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 June 2026
Back to fine dining, there’s chef-restaurateur Ken Oringer’s Toro, where visitors from near and far wait for hours to enjoy the Barcelona-style tapas and pintxos, and Spanish wines and sherries.
—Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026
The married duo of restaurateur Tracy Vaught and chef Hugo Ortega has made an indelible mark on Space City’s dining scene, populating Houston with Mexican restaurants that each tackle different subgenres of the cuisine.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 June 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 23 Jun. 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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