traiteur
/tʁɛ.tœʁ/masculine
In French, catering is translated as traiteur.
The noun traiteur refers to both the catering business itself and the person or company that provides the services. In a more general or formal sense, you can use the term service de restauration to mean foodservice or catering service. When you want to describe the service specifically rather than the professional, you can use the phrase service de traiteur. Additionally, traiteur can describe a specific type of high-end deli or specialty food shop that sells prepared dishes.
Meaning: the business of providing food and related services (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word traiteur is a masculine noun. If you are referring specifically to a female caterer or a female-led catering business, use the feminine form traiteuse.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʁɛ.tœʁ/
When do people say it?
To describe a situation where someone is providing extravagant catering or going all out, you can use the idiomatic expression mettre les petits plats dans les grands.
Did you know?
- Because traiteur is derived from the same root as 'treaty' in English, the word shares a linguistic history with formal negotiations and legal settlements.
- In French culture, visiting a traiteur for 'plats cuisinés' is a common middle-class alternative to restaurant dining for special Sunday family lunches.
- The term traiteur is closely linked to the verb traiter, which means 'to treat' or 'to deal with'. Historically, a traiteur was someone who 'treated' or processed raw ingredients into finished products.
Examples in context
- J'ai prévu un service de traiteur pour la soirée de demain.I arranged catering for tomorrow's party.This sentence shows how to use traiteur when arranging a catering service for an event.Tatoeba #8942901 by lbdx, translation #323141 by CK
- Nous avons engagé un traiteur pour notre mariageWe hired a caterer for our wedding
- L'entreprise a choisi un service de restauration pour la conférenceThe company chose a catering service for the conference
- Le traiteur a livré tous les plats à l'heure.The caterer delivered all the dishes on time.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are discussing the menu for a corporate event.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu as trouvé un traiteur ?Did you find a caterer?
- HugoOui, j'ai contacté un excellent traiteur local.Yes, I contacted an excellent local caterer.
- ChloéC'est super, est-ce qu'il propose des options végétariennes ?That's great, does he offer vegetarian options?
- HugoOui, il peut s'adapter à tous nos besoins.Yes, he can adapt to all our needs.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “catering” translations and entries traiteur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries traiteur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
