restaurant

thumb|The dining room of the Via Sophia in Washington, D.C., United States, which is a high-end luxury restaurant establishment thumb|A Turkish restaurant in Mongolia thumb|The dining room of Le Bernardin, which is a restaurant in Midtown, [[Manhattan, New York City. Restaurants may serve cuisines native to foreign countries. This one, for instance, serves French cuisine along with seafood.]] A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and beverages 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, featuring 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.

==Etymology== The word derives from the early 19th century, taken from the French word 'provide meat for', literally 'restore to a former state' and, being the present participle of the verb, the term restaurant may have been used in 1507 as a "restorative beverage", and in correspondence in 1521 to mean 'that which restores the strength, a fortifying food or remedy'.