A restaurant (French: [ʁɛstoʁɑ̃] ), or an eatery, is a business 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 food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearance and offerings, including a wide variety of cuisines and service models ranging from inexpensive fast-food restaurants and cafeterias to mid-priced family restaurants, to high-priced luxury establishments.
In Western countries, most mid-to high-range restaurants serve alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. Some restaurants serve all the major meals, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner (e.g., major fast-food chains, diners, hotel restaurants, and airport restaurants). Other restaurants may serve only a single meal (for example, a pancake house may only serve breakfast) or they may serve two meals (e.g., lunch and dinner).
The word derives from the French verb “restaurer” (“to restore”, “to revive”) and, being the present participle of the verb, it literally means “that which restores”. The term restaurant was defined in 1507 as a “restorative beverage”, and in correspondence in 1521 to mean “that which restores the strength, a fortifying food or remedy”.
The concept of a restaurant as a public venue where waiting staff serves patrons food from a fixed menu is a relatively recent one, dating from the late 18th century. In 1765, a French chef by the name of A. Boulanger established a business selling soups and other restaurants (“restoratives”). While not the first establishment where one could order food, or even soups, it is thought to be the first to offer a menu of available choices.
The “first real restaurant” is considered to have been “La Grande Taverne de Londres” in Paris, founded by Antoine Beauvilliers in either 1782 or 1786. According to Brillat-Savarin, this was “the first to combine the four essentials of an elegant room, smart waiters, a choice cellar, and superior cooking”. In 1802 the term was applied to an establishment where restorative foods, such as bouillon, a meat broth, were served (“établissement de restaurateur”).
Restaurants are classified or distinguished in many different ways. The primary factors are usually the food itself (e.g. vegetarian, seafood, steak); the cuisine (e.g. Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, French, Mexican, Thai), or the style of offering (e.g. tapas bar, a sushi train, a tastet restaurant, a buffet restaurant or a yum cha restaurant). Beyond this, restaurants may differentiate themselves on factors including speed (see fast food), formality, location, cost, service, or novelty themes (such as automated restaurants). Some of these include fine dining, casual dining, contemporary casual, family-style, fast-casual, fast food, cafes, buffet, concession stands, food trucks, pop-up restaurants, and ghost restaurants.
Restaurant Basilica at the shoreline of Kellosaarenranta by night in Ruoholahti, Helsinki, Finland.
Restaurants range from inexpensive and informal lunching or dining places catering to people working nearby, with modest food served in simple settings at low prices, to expensive establishments serving refined food and fine wines in a formal setting. In the former case, customers usually wear casual clothing. In the latter case, depending on culture and local traditions, customers might wear semi-casual, semi-formal, or formal wear. Typically, at mid-to high-priced restaurants, customers sit at tables, their orders are taken by a waiter, who brings the food when it is ready. After eating, the customers then pay the bill. In some restaurants, such as workplace cafeterias, there are no waiters; the customers use trays, on which they place cold items that they select from a refrigerated container and hot items which they request from cooks, and then they pay a cashier before they sit down. Another restaurant approach that uses few waiters is the buffet restaurant. Customers serve food on their own plates and then pay at the end of the meal. Buffet restaurants typically still have waiters to serve drinks and alcoholic beverages. Fast food restaurants are also considered a restaurant. In addition, food trucks are another popular option for people who want quick food service.
Tourists around the world can enjoy dining services on railway cars and cruise ship’s dining rooms, which are essentially traveling restaurants. Many railways’ dining services cater to the needs of travelers by providing railway refreshment rooms at railway stations. Many cruise ships provide a variety of dining experiences including the main restaurant, satellite restaurants, room service, specialty restaurants, cafes, bars, and buffets to name a few. Some restaurants on these cruise ships required table reservations and specific dress codes.
Music: Peacefully – E’s Jammy Jams