restaurant
(ˈrɛstərənt, -rɒnt, ‖ rɛstɔrɑ̃)
[a. F. restaurant, substantive use of the pres. pple. of restaurer to restore.]
1. An establishment where refreshments or meals may be obtained.
The use of F. restaurant in this sense is stated to have originated in Paris in 1765.
| 1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie II. ii. 28 At the most renowned of the Parisian restaurans. 1835 Willis Pencillings I. vi. 39 A newly-painted and staring restaurant. 1859 Sala Tw. round Clock (1861) 147 At these restaurants they give you things with French names. 1885 Mabel Collins Prettiest Woman ii, We will not sup at a public restaurant, but in a private room at the Grand Hotel. |
2. attrib., as
restaurant car,
restaurant dinner,
restaurant-keeper,
restaurant lunch,
restaurant manager,
restaurant meal,
restaurant proprietor.
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1923/2 Restaurant-car, one adapted for affording meals to passengers on board while traveling. 1913 Kipling Lett. of Travel (1920) 220 That terrible restaurant-car dinner in the tunnel. 1967 ‘T. Wells’ What should you know of Dying? x. 118 He's an elevator man at the Winchenden Arms... He's on the restaurant car. |
| 1899 R. Fry Let. Oct. (1972) I. 174 The restaurant dinners all stop at 5.0. 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gatsby iii. 69 A solitary restaurant dinner. |
| 1876 W. Wright Hist. Big Bonanza xlviii. 355 Some years ago a restaurant keeper had a number of these customers, who were eating him out of house and home. 1932 H. Simpson Boomerang vii. 141 The two young men..grinned up at him, and the first, the restaurant-keeper, answered: ‘His money is as good as another's.’ 1974 ‘J. Ross’ Burning of Billy Toober ix. 91 Prosser..had had his restaurant lunch sent in on a linen-shrouded tray. 1976 Liverpool Echo 6 Dec. 6/6 Restaurant manager Jose Padilla..is always on the look-out for something new for his customers. |
| 1938 Cook's Continental Time-table Jan. (Advt.), Comfort to the continent. Right through the winter, Imperial Airways will operate frequent services to Paris,..Full restaurant meals served during flight. 1960 M. Spark Bachelors iii. 43 One can't afford two restaurant meals in one day. |
| 1938 Sun (Baltimore) 11 June 9/2 Worley Carrico, middle-aged restaurant proprietor. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XV. 778/1 The first restaurant proprietor is believed to have been one A. Boulanger, a soup vendor, who opened his business in Paris in 1765. |