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
Atlanta won’t see any new James Beard medallions around the necks of its chefs and restaurateurs this year.
—
Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 16 June 2026
Groundbreaking chef, cookbook author, restaurateur and media personality Nancy Silverton is the recipient of this year’s lifetime achievement award.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
The iconic spot from restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow is now open at Bal Harbour Shops, in the former space of the French restaurant Le Zoo, which closed in 2025.
—Connie Ogle
june 11, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
The restaurateur, who’s also behind tasting menu restaurant Sora, is working to revamp his casual, Asian fusion concept Yama Asian Kitchen in the meantime.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 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.
Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 16 June 2026
Groundbreaking chef, cookbook author, restaurateur and media personality Nancy Silverton is the recipient of this year’s lifetime achievement award.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
The iconic spot from restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow is now open at Bal Harbour Shops, in the former space of the French restaurant Le Zoo, which closed in 2025.
—Connie Ogle
june 11, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
The restaurateur, who’s also behind tasting menu restaurant Sora, is working to revamp his casual, Asian fusion concept Yama Asian Kitchen in the meantime.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 10 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 17 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
