restaurateur

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

/ ˌrɛs tər əˈtɜr; French rɛs tɔ raˈtœr /

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.

Words nearby restaurateur

restage, restart, restate, restaurant, restaurant car, restaurateur, restenosis, restful, restharrow, restiform, restiform body

Sometimes res·tau·ran·teur [res-ter-uh n-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. 2019

Examples from the Web for restaurateur

“In 20 years, this just might be a city of Taco Bells,” one restaurateur recently shuddered.
High Rents Are Killing the Restaurant Capital|Will Doig|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Chinese restaurateur ran to the window as I wolfed down roast duck for my farewell dinner, as shots were heard across the way.
No Movie Stars, No Red Carpet, But Off-Season Cannes Is Still Magic|Liza Foreman|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Around that time, in 1972, Chinese-American restaurateur Michael Tong opened Shun Lee Palace on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
‘The Search for General Tso’: The Origins of America’s Favorite Chinese Dish, General Tso’s Chicken|Marlow Stern|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The show closes with Anthony visiting an Israeli restaurateur, Natan, who lost his daughter to the violence of the conflict.
Watching Anthony Bourdain in Palestine|Maysoon Zayid|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

She is married to Geoff Tracy, a restaurateur in Washington, D.C.
See Who’s Coming to Women in the World 2013: Speakers & Participants||March 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The eye of the restaurateur passed vaguely over the company, but the instant sufficed to photograph each detail.
The Salamander|Owen Johnson
"I never saw two men look so much alike," continued the restaurateur.
Mlle. Fouchette|Charles Theodore Murray
Those who have visited Paris will probably have seen the grebes in the window of the restaurateur in the Rue de Rivoli.
Love's Meinie|John Ruskin
I have spoken of the philosopher in his capacity of restaurateur.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe
A costumier hung out wigs, and masks, and débardeur garments next door to the restaurateur.
In the Days of My Youth|Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards

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