restaurateur

[ res-ter-uh-tur; French res-taw-ra-tœr ]

/ ˌrɛs tər əˈtɜr; French rɛs tɔ raˈtœr /

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noun, plural res·tau·ra·teurs

[res-ter-uh-turz; French res-taw-ra-tœr]. /ˌrɛs tər əˈtɜrz; French rɛs tɔ raˈtœr/.

the owner or manager of a restaurant.

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Sometimes res·tau·ran·teur

[res-ter-uhn-tur, ‐tuh-rahn-, ‐trahn-] /ˌrɛs tər ənˈtɜr, ‐tə rɑn-, ‐trɑn-/ .

Origin of restaurateur

1790–1800; <French; Middle French: restorer <Late Latin restaurātor, equivalent to Latin restaurā(re) to restore + -tor-tor

usage note for restaurateur

The English word restaurateur , borrowed from French, still exists in modern French in the same form and with the same meaning. The variant spelling restauranteur , influenced by the more familiar English word restaurant , is gaining some currency, but has traditionally been considered erroneous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use restaurateur in a sentence

“The cost of doing business,” one restauranteur told a Cianci biographer.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?|David Freedlander|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And a smart New York restauranteur recently made a "cover charge" of twenty-five cents for bread and butter and ice-water.
The Personality of American Cities|Edward Hungerford
Shad is a most satisfactory substitute for the French restauranteur's delight—loup de mer.
Twenty-four Little French Dinners and How to Cook and Serve Them|Cora Moore
No French restauranteur worthy the name ever kept dead fish in stock, for nothing deteriorates so quickly.
Twenty-four Little French Dinners and How to Cook and Serve Them|Cora Moore

British Dictionary definitions for restaurateur

restaurateur

/ (ˌrɛstərəˈtɜː) /

noun

a person who owns or runs a restaurant

Word Origin for restaurateur

C18: via French from Late Latin restaurātor one who restores, from Latin restaurāre to restore

usage for restaurateur

Although the spelling restauranteur occurs frequently, it is a misspelling and should be avoided

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012