Restaurant, meal delivery and gastronomy in France

About the French cuisine

What does “fait maison” (home-made) mean exactly?

This mention (or the logo) indicates dishes made on the spot, cooked in the restaurant, from raw products without “significant modifications”.

The establishment must indicate whether the cook has freshly prepared the meal in the kitchen or pre-assembled it somewhere else. If the restaurant only serves home-made dishes, a single statement in the restaurant is enough.

Can I know the exact origins of all the products in a restaurant?

No, you will not be able to know the origin of all the products served to you. Only the origin of certain products must be displayed. This is the case for the origin of meat, and applies to all meats: beef, sheep, pork and poultry.

The origin must be indicated legibly and visibly on the menu or on any other medium.

The display of wines must also indicate the precise name of the wine, including its origin if it is a wine with a protected designation of origin or geographical indication.

How do I know if health control has checked the restaurant?

The website Alim’confiance provides the results of official health controls carried out throughout the food chain. The controls relate to the hygiene of food production, processing and distribution establishments (e.g. restaurants, butchers, supermarkets, slaughterhouses, food processing establishments). These controls are carried out by the veterinary services of the Departmental Directorate of Population Protection (DDPP).

The results published on the Alim’confiance website are freely accessible to all and remain visible for one year after the inspection.

The level of hygiene is rated on 4 levels:

• Highly satisfactory if the establishment is compliant or has minor non-compliances.
• Satisfactory if the administration has issued a simple warning to the establishment but has not imposed any sanctions.
• To be improved if the administration gave the establishment formal notice to comply with the sanitary rules within a certain period under penalty of a sanction.
• To be corrected urgently if the establishment may endanger the health of the consumer.

Good to know: the restaurant owner has no obligation to display the inspection results in front of the establishment. However, they may do so using the notices sent by the DDPP at the end of the inspection.

I am not satisfied with the dish I was served. What can I do?

If the dish served to you is not what was advertised (e.g. surimi instead of crabmeat), you can ask for a change of dish.

If the dish is not hot enough, not cooked enough or the wine is ‘corked’, you can ask the restaurant owner to replace the dish or drink concerned.

However, if a dish you have ordered is not to your liking, you cannot demand that the restaurant owner replaces it. If they refuse, you will have to pay for it even if you have not eaten it.

I have become sick after eating in a French restaurant or cafe. What should I do?

All establishments serving food and drinks must comply with the hygiene regulations. Whether or not the symptoms persist, consult a doctor. Gather all the useful information that the doctor or the health control services will ask you for:

• The name and contact details of the restaurant;
• The date and time of the meal;
• The number of guests at the restaurant;
• If several guests are ill, the list of patients specifying their age, the symptoms experienced and the dates and times of onset of the symptoms;
• The composition of the meals consumed by each patient during the previous 5 days;
• The composition of meals consumed by a representative number of non-sick guests.

Finally, do not hesitate to alert the authorities: the Medical Inspector of the ARS Ile-de-France (if the restaurant is in Paris and its surroundings) or the Food Safety Department of the department where the restaurant is located.

Reading a French menu

What information should the restaurant display?

Before entering a restaurant or sitting on its terrace, you should at least know about:

• The menus or daily menu offered, with details of their prices inclusive of all taxes and whether drinks are included.
• If a reduced-price menu is offered during the week or for lunchtime service, details of the days and times when it is served.
• The names and prices, including taxes, of the 5 wines or 5 drinks most commonly served in the establishment (e.g. fruit juice, mineral water, soft drinks, coffee).
• The times of lunch and/or dinner service.

This information must be displayed, in a visible and legible manner, from outside the restaurant, throughout the duration of the service and at least from 11.30 a.m. for lunch and 6 p.m. for dinner.

Inside, the restaurant must make menus or cards (identical to those displayed outside) available to customers. If the restaurant serves a menu only at certain times, they should clearly state it on the displayed document. Similarly, it should say on the menu whether drinks are included.

Should the price quoted be inclusive of all taxes?

Yes, the price displayed must be in euros, including all taxes. The price you are asked to pay at the end must correspond to the price displayed.

In a restaurant, the price of the meal must include the cutlery, i.e. everything that is usually provided for the customer during a meal. This includes bread, water (in a carafe), spices or condiments, crockery, glassware and napkins.

It also includes the service, and the menu or the bill should include the words “prix service compris” (price including service), followed by the percentage applied for the payment of this service.

What information on allergenic ingredients should I receive?

The establishment must give you written information about the possible presence of allergens in the dishes and drinks. You can find this information:

• on the restaurant menu,
• on a board at the counter,
• or in a notebook that you can ask the staff for.

If you have a menu of the day or if you do not find this information in writing, do not hesitate to report your food allergy and ask the waiter directly.

Please note! In Europe, the list of ingredients considered to cause allergies is limited.

Good to know: on shop windows, advertisements, the menu, certain references or labels may be communicated. Examples: on the origin of the products (régional, fermier, Label Rouge, AOP, BIO), on the type of production (maison, du chef, artisanal) or on the nature of the products themselves (shoulder ham). These claims, like the name and origin of the products, must correspond to the reality of the dishes and drinks served.

Restaurants in France

What are the opening hours for restaurants and cafés?

In Paris, most bars and cafes open in the morning around 6:30 am and close in the evening around 10pm.

In terms of restaurants, their opening hours can vary. If you want to be sure to have a hot and cooked meal, it’s better to respect the service hours: between 12pm and 1:30 pm for lunch, and between 8pm and 10:30 pm for dinner.

What exactly is a Michelin restaurant?

The “Michelin guide” and the related star ranking system are famous worldwide. Restaurants can apply for categorisation to be allocated one, two or three stars.

• 1 star “A very good restaurant in its category”
• 2 stars “Excellent cooking, worth a detour”
• 3 stars “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”

The category “Bib Gourmand” rates a good cuisine at a reasonable price.

The guide also lists restaurants without any stars or Bib Gourmands. Usually, they are rated on the scale of “forks and knives” – a rating given to all restaurants recognised in the Michelin guide, ranging from one to five. One fork and knife stand for a “quite comfortable restaurant” and five forks and knives for a “luxurious restaurant”.

The Michelin guide is not state-certified, but it is very popular among consumers.

Which establishments are accessible for people with disabilities?

The “Accès libre” platform lists accessible establishments (restaurants, cafés, supermarkets). Establishments adapted to different types of disability are awarded the “Tourism & Disability (Tourisme et Handicap)” label. You can locate them on the spot using the pictograms, which specify the conditions of accessibility according to the type of disability: hearing, mental, motor or visual.

Can a restaurant owner refuse to host children or animals?

A restaurant owner may not prohibit access to his or her restaurant on discriminatory grounds (religion, race, state of health, morals, etc.) or because of the presence of children.

Good to know: the children’s menu is only for children. The maximum age must then be specified on the menu.

The establishment can count one place setting for each child, even if the child does not eat, provided that the price of the place setting is mentioned on the menu or a la carte.

Regarding animals, for hygiene reasons, pets should not in principle have access to areas where food is prepared, processed or stored. On the other hand, provided that the rules of hygiene are respected, the restaurant owner may accept their presence in the dining room, but this is not an obligation. The restaurant owner may ask you to keep your animals on a leash.

If you are a holder of a “mobility and inclusion” card bearing the “disability” and “priority” wording, your assistance dog is allowed to enter a restaurant. The presence of the assistance dog must not result in additional charges for access to the service.

Is there a charge if I order drinking water with my meal?

No. In France, you can ask for free drinking water, as long as you order a meal in the restaurant. This is fresh or tempered drinking water for drinking purposes. You do not have to order bottled mineral water, wine or any other beverage by the glass.

Can the restaurant refuse to serve me only a coffee?

No. Unless there is a legitimate reason, the restaurant owner cannot refuse to serve you, including a simple coffee. However, if the meal service has begun and the available tables are allocated in priority to customers eating a meal, he may refuse to serve you.

Can the restaurant or cafe owner refuse me access to the toilets?

Yes, restaurants and cafés have the right to refuse access to the toilets to a person who is not consuming in their establishment.

Should I ask for a bill at the end of the meal?

Yes. In a restaurant, when you wish to pay, you should ask for “l’addition” (also called “la note”). The restaurant must give you a written document summarising:

• the name and contact details of the restaurant;
• the price of each service provided (including VAT and service)
• the total amount to pay.

In a café, as in a restaurant for any service provided on the premises, the waiter will give you a bill only above 25 euros including tax.

On the other hand, if you ask for it, the waiter must give it to you, even for a lower amount.

Is tipping compulsory in France?

No. A tip is a sum of money given by the customer to an employee. It is traditional in restaurants or cafés, but it is optional, at the discretion of the customer.

The waiter can’t force you to give a tip.

I haven’t finished my food or my drink. Can I take out my leftovers?

Yes, in France, you may ask for a “doggy bag” (or gourmet bagging), unless you have ordered dishes or drinks included in an “all-you-can-eat” buffet.

Restaurant and cafe owners must provide you with a reusable or recyclable takeaway container or accept the reusable or recyclable container you have brought yourself (unless it is dirty or unsuitable).

Please note that the restaurant owner can charge for the container they provide, provided they have displayed the price of the container on their menus.

Meal delivery and take-out

There are several platforms offering ready-made meal delivery. However, they do not all operate according to the same model.

Some are just intermediaries between the restaurant owner, the courier and you; others also take care of the delivery. Finally, there are also platforms that do the catering and delivery themselves.

Please note! The person to contact in the event of a problem (non-delivery, quality of food, etc.) will depend on the model chosen. You should generally send your complaint via the website or app. Consult the general conditions of sale before ordering.

The app must inform you of the price of the dish you ordered and the delivery costs before placing the order.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.