maitre d'hôtel

The maitre d'hôtel welcomes guests at the restaurant entrance.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The head waiter or manager of a dining room: "maître d'hôtel" refers to the person who supervises the service staff in a restaurant, hotel, or formal dining establishment. This role involves greeting guests, managing reservations, and ensuring the quality of service.
   • A hotel manager or proprietor: Historically, the term also denotes the owner or manager of a hotel, though this usage is less common today.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The maître d'hôtel greeted us warmly and led us to our table. (The head waiter welcomed us and guided us to our seats.)
  • She worked as a maître d'hôtel at a five-star restaurant in Paris. (She served as the dining room manager at a high-end restaurant.)

Advanced Usage

• "maître d'hôtel sauce": a specific type of sauce, often made with butter, lemon juice, parsley, and seasonings, served with fish or vegetables.
  • The grilled salmon was served with a classic maître d'hôtel sauce. (The fish was accompanied by a butter-based sauce with herbs.)

Variants and Related Words

• Maître d' (n): a shortened, informal form of "maître d'hôtel," commonly used in everyday language to refer to the head waiter or dining room manager.

  • The maître d' seated us near the window. (The dining manager placed us at a table by the window.)

• Maître (n): a French word meaning "master" or "teacher," used as a title of respect in various contexts (e.g., "maître d'école" for schoolmaster). In the term "maître d'hôtel," it indicates authority or mastery over the hotel or dining room.

Synonyms

• Head waiter: the senior waiter responsible for overseeing service in a restaurant.
• Dining room manager: a person who supervises the operations of a dining area.
• Restaurant manager: the overall manager of a restaurant, which may include the duties of a maître d'hôtel.

Related Idioms

• "To act as maître d'hôtel": to assume the role of a host or manager in a formal dining setting.
  • For the charity dinner, he volunteered to act as maître d'hôtel. (He took on the duties of greeting guests and managing the event.)