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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Exploring Restaurants That Accept Unique Payments, Including Prohibited Items!

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New legislation is set to be reviewed by the Senate on January 15, aiming to expand the use of restaurant vouchers for various food items, including essential staples. Major retailers like Monoprix and Lidl permit grocery purchases with these vouchers, while Leclerc maintains strict adherence to previous regulations. Carrefour City and Franprix offer more flexibility by allowing the purchase of both food and non-food items. Restaurant owners express frustration over retailers bending the rules and have sought regulatory oversight.

New Developments in Restaurant Voucher Usage

A significant update has emerged in the ongoing discussion about restaurant vouchers! On January 15, the Senate will hold a public session to review a proposed law that seeks to reinstate the use of these vouchers for a wider array of food products, including essential staples like olive oil, rice, and pasta. This initiative received unanimous approval from the National Assembly on November 21, but was momentarily sidelined by the Barnier government’s censorship in early December. Consumers are keenly observing this issue, especially since from January 1, 2025, they will lose the exemption that has allowed them to utilize restaurant vouchers more broadly in supermarkets since 2022. This exemption enabled purchases beyond reheatable meals or sandwiches, extending to fruits, vegetables, salads, and dairy items.

Brand Compliance and Consumer Experiences

When it comes to enforcing these rules, major retailers like Monoprix, Auchan, U, and Lidl are all on the same page: customers can still use their restaurant voucher cards for any grocery purchases, capped at 25 euros per day. This means that items previously restricted since January 1, such as olive oil, pasta, canned goods, and balsamic vinegar, can still be bought without issue. However, hygiene products, including toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and pet food, remain excluded from voucher payments. Interestingly, Lidl, which only began accepting restaurant vouchers in its 1,600 French stores in September 2024, has quickly adapted to meet customer needs.

In stark contrast, expect no leniency from Leclerc. At its Rosa Parks location in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, the store strictly adheres to the regulations from 2022. During a shopping trip, only a few items, such as Schweppes, ham-sheep wraps, and grated Emmental, could be purchased with a restaurant voucher, while the rest required a bank card.

For those wondering which stores offer the most flexibility, Carrefour City stands out. This convenience store allows customers to pay for all items, including cleaning products typically deemed prohibited, using restaurant vouchers. Franprix takes the lead with an even more relaxed approach, permitting payment for both food and non-food items, including alcohol, with restaurant vouchers.

It’s no surprise that restaurant owners, the intended beneficiaries of this payment method, are frustrated to see major retailers bending the rules. They have already alerted the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) to initiate oversight, but so far, their concerns have gone unaddressed. At present, the cash register systems remain unchanged.

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