restaurant
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of restaurant
An Americanism first recorded in 1820–30; from French, noun use of present participle of restaurer, from Latin restaurāre “to restore, reestablish”; cf. re- ( def. ), store
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Explanation
A restaurant is a place — usually inside a building — where you go to eat food, which, most of the time, you must pay for. Restaurant comes from the French restaurer, which means "to provide food for." Restaurants will provide food for you if you've got the cash, and most of the time they'll even let you sit down right there and eat it. Common examples of restaurants include burger joints, cafeterias, pizzerias, sandwich shops, steak houses, seafood shacks, (some) hot-dog stands, ice cream parlors, taquerias, Chinese takeout, (some) bakeries, and fine-dining establishments.
Vocabulary lists containing restaurant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Juan, who was a field worker and cook at a Chinese restaurant at the time, wooed and married Michelle, who was then a Lowe’s cashier, there after meeting in 2008.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
Company-operated restaurant sales also increased ,thanks to Wendy’s acquisition of franchise-operated restaurants in the third quarter of 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
To “86” someone is to eject or ban someone, especially from a bar or restaurant.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
He and Wai were introduced at a restaurant in London's Chinatown by Chu Ting Tang, a prominent figure in the area is known to be sympathetic to the Chinese government's policies in Hong Kong.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
She was holding a takeout menu from his favorite Chinese restaurant.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
