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
Kimbal Musk is an entrepreneur, restaurateur and philanthropist known for his work in sustainable food and urban farming.
—
Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Not even one of Salt Lake City's worst blazes could deter restaurateurs Brooks and David Kirchheimer from opening Hearth and Hill, their fourth restaurant.
—Kim Bojórquez, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
The event is a win-win for restaurateurs and consumers.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
A couple of weeks ago, Manchester’s most famous restaurateur offered Reiser free dinner for a year, but didn’t include specifics.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2025
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.
Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Not even one of Salt Lake City's worst blazes could deter restaurateurs Brooks and David Kirchheimer from opening Hearth and Hill, their fourth restaurant.
—Kim Bojórquez, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
The event is a win-win for restaurateurs and consumers.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
A couple of weeks ago, Manchester’s most famous restaurateur offered Reiser free dinner for a year, but didn’t include specifics.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 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 3 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share