The restriction on the use of restaurant vouchers announced in the media will ultimately not happen according to the details presented by Olivia Grégoire.
(Updated on November 15, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.) On Tuesday, November 14, Olivia Grégoire, Minister Envoy for Small and Medium Enterprises and Trade, announced the extension of the measure authorizing the use of restaurant vouchers for any type of food product. The announcement comes after numerous texts in the previous days about the abolition of vouchers in restaurants for the purchase of pasta, rice or even milk for babies. Indeed, the purchasing power law that allows the use of restaurant stamps to be extended to all food products (and no longer just to immediate consumption products) was set to expire on December 31, 2023. It will finally be extended through 2024. There were 18 votes August 2022 in an inflationary context that continues today.
Paper or digital restaurant ticket?
The abolition of paper tickets is scheduled for the end of 2026, if we look at the comments that Olivia Grégoire, Minister Envoy for Small and Medium Enterprises and Trade, made to FranceInfo in October 2023. Companies that still use this format will be supported in making the transitions .
Ten years have passed since the dematerialization of catering vouchers began. While it is an advantage for restaurateurs to get a refund faster (within 48 hours instead of about 4 weeks), customers are often more resistant to it. In fact, a digital restaurant voucher offers less flexibility in use. With this system, it becomes particularly difficult to avoid the imposed daily upper limit of 25 euros for paying for a meal or paying with a ticket in a restaurant on Sunday.
What is the daily limit for restaurant vouchers?
The upper limit for restaurant vouchers is set at 25 euros from 1this one October 2022. Previously it was 19 euros, therefore an increase of 6 euros per day was introduced. To avoid using two payment methods in case of additions or receipts exceeding this upper limit, Sodexo, Edenred and Swile offerlink the restaurant ticket card to the customer’s bank account. In this system, when payment is made by card for restaurant tickets, 25 euros are charged from the meal voucher and the rest from the bank account.
Where can I use my restaurant vouchers?
According to the law, meal vouchers allow the purchase of a meal or food preparation in facilities that accept them. From their dedicated space available on the websites of service providers that issue their meal vouchers, employees can see the exact list of outlets where to pay restaurant vouchers. As a rule, merchants do not have to give change on meal vouchers. It’s not in theory Meal vouchers cannot be used on Sundays since their use is reserved for working days. Employees who work on Sundays are exempt from this rule if a special note appears on the meal voucher.
Employees can also use their vouchers for restaurants in restaurant such as traditional restaurants, fast food establishments, self-service establishments or restaurants located in hotels. Vouchers for restaurants can also be used click and collect Or home delivery dishes sold by these facilities.
Are restaurant vouchers mandatory?
The employer is not obliged to provide his employees with food stamps. He can take care of employee nutrition in other ways:
- Company restaurant
- Bonus for lunch
However, employers must provide a dedicated catering area for their employees where they can find equipment to prepare and reheat food.
What is the price of a restaurant ticket for an employer?
Meal vouchers are financed by the employee and the employer. The law establishes the range of employer contributions that must be determined between 50% and 60% the value of the security. When a company distributes meal vouchers to employees, the amount must be the same for all employees, whether it is a manager or a minimum wage employee.
The employer only benefits from an exemption from social security contributions on his contributions within the ceiling set at 6.50 euros in 1this one January 2023. If it exceeds, the part that exceeds the upper limit is subject to contributions.
Companies can order their restaurant vouchers from providers of securities issuance services such as Edenred, Sodexo, Chèque Déjeuner and Natixis Intertitres.
For an employee, a meal voucher is not included in the calculation of income tax or in the calculation of social benefits.
Payment of commission by the caterer
Each time a restaurateur agrees to collect a restaurant voucher, he pays a commission. In fact, companies that issue restaurant vouchers consider themselves “service providers” and charge them a commission rate as such. It ranges between 3 and 5% and refers to the amount of the ticket collected. In any case, this is how Sodexo, Edenred and Swile operate, keep in mind that there are new players coming into this market like Worklife, Benefiz and Ekip offer commission-free offers thereby enabling the promotion of the acceptance rate of this payment method.
If in October 2023 Olivia Grégoire hinted that the commission for caterers could soon be limited, it seems that the topic is no longer relevant. The competition authority, contacted by the government, issued an unfavorable opinion against this measure. Not for now” the most appropriate answer “for”market failures “.