Commerce Minister Serge Papin announced on April 4 that meal vouchers could be used on Sundays, while confirming their use in supermarkets. A bill to this effect will be tabled by summer, drawing ire from traditional restaurant representatives. They decry the shift of vouchers into general food coupons.
Commerce Minister Serge Papin unveiled measures on meal vouchers on Saturday April 4, allowing their use on Sundays and making permanent their acceptance in supermarkets—a derogation introduced in 2022. A bill to formalize these changes will be tabled by summer.
Franck Chaumès, national president of the Umih restaurant branch, stated: “We are killing our profession.” Frank Delvau, president of Umih Paris Île-de-France, told Le Figaro: “The real measure here is that the meal voucher is turning into a food voucher,” leaving “crumbs” for restaurateurs. By end-2024, supermarkets captured 31.5% of voucher spending versus 39.5% for traditional restaurants, per CNTR data—a nine-point rise since 2022.
GHR president Catherine Quérard calls it “a real injustice” and says “the meal voucher is completely perverted.” Professionals seek a dual daily spending cap, differentiating supermarkets from traditional eateries, and highlight the VAT gap: 10% in restaurants versus 5.5% in supermarkets for a sandwich.
Some Umih members are ready to boycott meal vouchers, warned Franck Chaumès. Representatives plan to write to Serge Papin for a new meeting and see the issue fueling 2027 presidential debates.
