Meal Vouchers Battle: How Restaurants Lost to Big Retail in Lobbying Warfare

In August 2022, the severe inflation triggered by the war in Ukraine significantly impacted the purchasing power of the French. This prompted the government to approve a temporary measure allowing the 5.4 million holders of meal vouchers to use them for almost all their food purchases. This measure was initially intended to expire on December 31, 2023. However, its popularity exceeded expectations. By the last quarter of 2022, 22.4% of meal voucher expenditures were made in supermarkets and hypermarkets. A year later, this figure rose to 29.5%. As a result, the provision was extended until the end of 2024.

In January 2025, under François Bayrou’s government, the extension of this measure was once again urgently voted on. The Union of Hotel and Restaurant Industries, the leading professional organization in the sector, criticized this as a “bad blow to restaurateurs.” The permanence of the measure seemed inevitable: according to a study by the National Meal Voucher Commission, 96% of users wished to continue using their vouchers in supermarkets.

However, the debate is far from over. The Minister of Commerce plans to include the “total dematerialization” of meal vouchers starting January 1, 2027, in her legislative project. Today, paper vouchers still account for 30% of payments, with the remainder being processed through cards and mobile apps. The concept is well-intended: “Managing paper is very burdensome for restaurateurs,” Véronique Louwagie pointed out to Ouest-France. Yet, the commissions charged on card payments do not make the sector any happier.

Last May, Romain Vidal, a Parisian restaurateur and representative of the College of Restaurant Retailers, Fruits and Vegetables (linked to the National Commission for Meal Vouchers), expressed his frustration in Le Monde: “In 2014, issuers assured us that the end of the paper voucher would lead to lower commissions. In reality, they have almost tripled since then, rising from 1.5% to 4% per payment on average. In comparison, credit card fees range from 0.3% to 0.5%. A 4% charge without any additional service is not acceptable.” In other words, dematerialization could end up costing restaurateurs more if it is not accompanied by a cap on commissions.

This issue is not new. Already in 2022, seventeen professional federations were denouncing a “hostage situation” created by meal voucher issuers, who charged commissions to restaurateurs while client companies benefited from rebates that significantly reduced their costs. However, a request by Olivier Grégoire, then Minister of Commerce, to the Conference Authority to assess the possibility of capping these commissions ultimately received a negative response from the institution.