restaurateur

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

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.

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

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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of restaurateur

What a commission from the restaurateur for supplying the refreshments!
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
I have spoken of the philosopher in his capacity of restaurateur.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
On one occasion the restaurateur wished to increase his charge.
Moral Tales
Madame Guizot
But he was not in the same strategic position as the restaurateur.
The Romance of a Great Store
Edward Hungerford
This then is the cost to the restaurateur and the innkeeper.
A Residence in France
J. Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for restaurateur

restaurateur

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

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

Word Origin and History for restaurateur

1796, from French restaurateur, agent noun from restaurer "to restore" (see restaurant) on model of Late Latin restaurator "restorer." Native form restauranter is recorded from 1877.