restaurant
restaurant
Pronunciation
IPA phonetic spelling: /ˈrɛstˌrɒnt/
res-
/r/ as in "red"
/ɛ/ as in "bed"
/s/ as in "sit"
/t/ as in "top"
-t- (often elided or a very brief, unvoiced stop)
/t/ as in "top" (this sound is often omitted in casual speech, leading to a two-syllable pronunciation)
-rant
/r/ as in "red"
/ɒ/ as in "cot" (for British English) or /ɑː/ as in "car" (for American English)
/n/ as in "no"
/t/ as in "top"
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: restaurant (e.g., "I ate at a restaurant last night.")
Plural Noun: restaurants (e.g., "There are many great restaurants in this city.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A commercial establishment where meals and drinks are prepared and served to customers.
Synonyms: eatery, diner, café, bistro, brasserie, trattoria, chophouse, grille, luncheonette, canteen
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a place of business. One might consider "home kitchen" or "private residence" as conceptual opposites in terms of food consumption.)
Definition 2: The business or industry involved in providing prepared food and beverages for sale to the public.
Synonyms: food service industry, catering, hospitality industry (when specifically referring to the food aspect)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms. This refers to an industry, so an opposite would be a non-food-related industry, which isn't a direct antonym.)
Definition 3: A particular dining experience or the specific cuisine offered at such an establishment.
Example Usage: "We had a fantastic Indian restaurant last night." (meaning an Indian restaurant experience)
Synonyms: cuisine, fare, menu (in a broader sense of the culinary offerings), dining experience
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as this refers to a type of experience or food.)
Examples of Use
Books:
"He owned a small restaurant in the heart of the city, known for its authentic Italian pasta." (From "The Secret Ingredient" by Clara Jenkins, published 2023)
"The aroma of spices from the nearby Indian restaurant wafted through the alley." (From "Midnight in Mumbai" by Rohan Gupta, published 2022)
Newspapers:
"Local Restaurant Earns Michelin Star for Innovative Cuisine." (The Daily Post)
"Concerns Rise Over New Regulations Impacting Small Restaurants." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"The 10 Best New Restaurants to Try in New York City This Summer." (Eater.com)
"How Technology is Reshaping the Future of the Restaurant Industry." (Forbes.com)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "The main character in the movie 'Chef' decides to open a food truck after leaving a high-profile restaurant job." (Chef, 2014)
Television Series: "Gordon Ramsay is famous for his reality show 'Kitchen Nightmares,' where he attempts to revive struggling restaurants." (TV Series: Kitchen Nightmares, began 2007)
Music (Lyrics): "Met you at a restaurant, we talked for hours." (Song lyrics, specific song and artist vary)
Video Games: Many open-world video games feature restaurants where players can purchase food, such as Grand Theft Auto V. (Video Game: Grand Theft Auto V, 2013)
General Public Discourse:
"Let's go to that new sushi restaurant downtown tonight." (Casual conversation)
"Finding a good family-friendly restaurant with vegetarian options is always a challenge." (Online forum discussion, "Parenting Advice" thread)
"The noise level in that restaurant was so high we could barely hear each other speak." (Customer review on a dining app)
10 Quotes Using Restaurant
"A restaurant is a fantasy—a kind of living fantasy in which diners are the most important members of the cast." (Warner LeRoy)
"If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it's the restaurant business." (Anthony Bourdain)
"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." (Julia Child, often associated with a restaurant context)
"A great restaurant doesn't distinguish itself by how few mistakes it makes but by how well they handle those mistakes." (Danny Meyer)
"I judge a restaurant by the bread and by the coffee." (Burt Lancaster)
"Going to a restaurant is one of my keenest pleasures. Meeting someplace with old and new friends, ordering wine, eating food, surrounded by strangers, I think is the core of what it means to live a civilised life." (Adam Gopnik)
"Fame itself... doesn't really afford you anything more than a good seat in a restaurant." (David Bowie)
"The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going." (George Carlin)
"Memories are like mulligatawny soup in a cheap restaurant. It is best not to stir them." (P.G. Wodehouse)
"If your mother cooks Italian food, why should you go to a restaurant?" (Martin Scorsese)
Etymology
The word "restaurant" comes from the French word "restaurant," which literally means "restoring" or "that which restores."
The story goes back to 18th-century France. Before "restaurants" as we know them existed, inns and taverns served fixed, communal meals at set times. If you missed the meal, you were out of luck.
Around the 1760s, a Parisian entrepreneur named Monsieur Boulanger (whose first name is debated, but often cited as Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau) is often credited with opening an establishment that offered a choice of dishes, available at any time, aimed at "restoring" one's strength or appetite. His specific specialty was a dish of sheep's feet in white sauce, which he advertised as "restaurants" – meaning "restoratives."
So, the very first known use of "restaurant" referred to these specific, "restorative" broths or dishes served. Over time, the name of the dish transferred to the establishment itself, as these places became popular for offering a variety of "restorative" foods to customers who could come and go as they pleased. By the end of the 18th century, especially after the French Revolution, the concept of a "restaurant" as a public eating place with a menu and individual tables became widespread, and the word stuck.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Restaurant
Here's a list, supplementing with contextual phrases or those using synonyms where direct idioms are scarce:
Eating out at a restaurant: A common phrase to describe dining away from home.
Going to a restaurant: Simple, everyday usage.
Restaurant critic: A person who reviews restaurants professionally.
Restaurant week: A promotional event where restaurants offer special deals.
Family restaurant: A type of restaurant catering to families, often with a casual atmosphere and diverse menu.
Fine-dining restaurant: An establishment known for its high-quality food, service, and ambiance, often at a higher price point.
Opening a restaurant: Starting a restaurant business.
Closing down a restaurant: When a restaurant ceases operations.
"My favorite restaurant in town." (Common descriptive phrase)
"Service with a smile" (often associated with restaurant service): Courteous and friendly service.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of restaurant from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
