maitre d'
MAY-truh DEE
/ˌmeɪtrə ˈdiː/
The head waiter or manager in charge of seating diners, taking reservations, and supervising staff in a restaurant.
Shortened from French maître d'hôtel; conveys elegance, high service standards, and authority over table assignments.
The story behind the word. Borrowed directly from French maître d'hôtel, meaning 'master of the house'. In aristocratic French estates, this manager oversaw household hospitality. By the late 19th century, luxury European restaurants adopted the title for front-of-house directors.
Word relationships
- head host: 'Head host' is casual and modern, whereas 'maitre d'' implies formal fine dining tradition.
- busser: A busser clears tables rather than managing front-of-house operations.
Commonly confused with
- concierge: A concierge manages guest requests across a hotel, while a maitre d' strictly manages dining floor operations.
Word family
- maître d'hôtel (noun): Full French title for the dining room supervisor.
Collocations
- discreet maitre d'
- consult the maitre d'
- tip the maitre d'
Idioms & expressions
- run the floor
Example sentences
- "The maitre d' greeted us at the door and smoothly escorted our party to a prime window table." Luxury restaurant
Memory hook
Think of the MASTER D-ining director who commands the restaurant floor. Master of the dining room floor.
When not to use
Avoid using for casual order takers or kitchen staff.
Fun facts
- The trailing apostrophe in 'maitre d'' exists because English speakers shortened 'maître d'hôtel', dropping 'hôtel' but keeping the preposition 'd''.
Related words
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