A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs
restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.
Etymology
The French word comes from the
Late Latin
Late Latin is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE, and continuing into the 7th century in ...
term ("restorer") and from the Latin term ''restaurare''. The word ''restaurateur'' is simply French for a person who owns or runs a restaurant.
The feminine form of the French noun is ''restauratrice''.
A less common variant spelling ''restauranteur'' is formed from the "more familiar" term ''
restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
''
with the French suffix ''-eur'' borrowed from ''restaurateur''. It is considered a misspelling by some.
The ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' gives examples of this variant (described as "originally American") going back to 1837.
H. L. Mencken said that in using this form he was using an American, not a French, word.
See also
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Culinary arts
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Foodservice
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List of restaurateurs
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National Restaurant Association
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Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
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Restaurant management
Restaurant management is the profession of managing a restaurant. Associate, bachelor, and graduate degree programs are offered in restaurant management by community colleges, junior colleges, and some universities in the United States
Th ...
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The World's 50 Best Restaurants
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Food services occupations