restaurateur

noun

res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌre-stə-rə-ˈtər 

variants or less commonly restauranteur

ˌre-stə-ˌrän-ˈtər 

: 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

Once a process to curate guest lists for elaborate events, now restaurateurs can fire off a quick direct message to an influencer between kitchen tasks. — Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Kalanick initially addressed that challenge by offering restaurateurs new spaces that were solely for the preparation of meals for delivery and were located strategically around cities and suburbs. — George C. Lee Ii, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

What’s next for Albania The things that make visiting Albania so wonderful—jaw-dropping scenery and that every restaurateur and hotelier foists their father’s homemade raki (grape brandy) on everyone, immediately—remain firmly in place. — Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026

Among the dead were a Telemundo executive and a Miami restaurateur. — Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "restorer, proprietor of a restaurant," going back to Middle French, "restorer," borrowed from Latin restaurātor, from restaurāre "to return to its former condition, restore" + -tor, agent suffix

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for restaurateur

• entrepreneur
• amateur
• connoisseur
• kieselguhr
• monseigneur
• procureur
• retransfer
• saboteur
• silencer
• voyageur
• birr
• blur

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Kids Definition

restaurateur

noun

res·​tau·​ra·​teur ˌres-tə-rə-ˈtər 

variants also restauranteur

-ˌrän- 

: a person who owns or runs a restaurant