If there's one topic that has sparked a lot of debate in recent months, or even in recent years, it's the use of the restaurant voucher. Starting from January 1, 2025, considering that it wasn't the primary aim of restaurant vouchers and that it negatively impacted restaurateurs, using those famous vouchers for grocery shopping would no longer be possible. This decision was quickly revoked due to the dissatisfaction of the beneficiaries.
🇫🇷 Ce que vous pouvez acheter ou non avec le titre-restaurant depuis hier :
— Cerfia (@CerfiaFR) January 2, 2025
❌ Pâtes
❌ Riz
❌ Beurre
❌ Œufs
❌ Viande crue
❌ Poisson frais
❌ Glaces
✅ Sandwichs
✅ Pastabox
✅ Plats préparés
✅ Quiches
✅ Pizzas
✅ Poulet rôti
✅ Saumon fumé
✅ Fruits
✅ Légumes
✅… pic.twitter.com/Z7QA0GMO7k
In mid-January, Parliament voted for the extension of restaurant voucher use in large stores until 2026. A new twist happened on June 17: in an interview with Ouest-France, Véronique Louwagie, the minister in charge of Commerce, Crafts, and SMEs, confirmed that the scheme will be made permanent beyond the initial deadline set for December 2026.
96% of restaurant voucher users eager to spend them in large stores
There are no fewer than six million French people who want to...Every month, meal vouchers. Among them, 96% want to be able to spend them in supermarkets to buy goods that are considered "not directly consumable," as shown by a study from the National Meal Voucher Commission. “Since February, we have been discussing with restaurateurs, employees, employers, issuers, and large retailers about the future of this exemption. We are finalizing the text, but I want to move forward as quickly as possible. Two points are decided: the sustainability of the system with non-directly consumable products and digitization,” explains the minister to Ouest-France.
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Towards a Total Dematerialization of Restaurant Vouchers
Dematerialization is, in fact, another key measure. As of January 1, 2027, “restaurants and issuers must, on their side, anticipate not to have stocks of paper vouchers,” highlights Véronique Louwagie. This is particularly explained by “the management [...] being very burdensome for restaurateurs,” she clarifies.
