Eating out in restaurants and cafés in France

Lunch (déjeuner) is between twelve and two in the afternoon, and dinner (dîner) between half past seven and ten in the evening, and many restaurants close between lunch and dinner and one or two days a week (often Sunday and Monday) and days in summer.

• Brasseries and many cafés offer continuous service.
• Breakfast (petit-déjeuner) is light: coffee, croissant and bread with butter and jam, often in the café or at home.
• And the goûter is a snack for children in the afternoon.
• And the apéritif (apéro) is a drink and light foods before dinner at home or in a café (from six).
• And food is not served much before the usual time.
• Look for a restaurant du jour at a low price, and a fixed formule midi.
• And terraces open in good weather.
• And in tourist areas the cost is higher and quality often lower, so move a little away from the landmarks.

On entering greet Bonjour and the waiter will guide you to a table (or ask for one).

• You are given the carte, the menu, and you may find a menu or formule: entrée + plat or plat + dessert or all three at a fixed price cheaper than ordering individually, and there is a plat du jour, dish of the day.
• The order: apéritif then entrée (starter) then plat principal (main course) with a garniture (starches) then fromage (cheese) and before dessert (sweet) then café (coffee) and from it a digestif.
• Ordering all is not required, and you may be content with one dish.
• Bon appétit is a greeting before eating.
• Ask for une carafe d'eau, a jug of tap water, which is free by law, instead of paid bottled water (eau minérale).
• And bringing back leftover food in a gourmet bag is allowed since 2021.
• And coffee: un café means a small espresso, and un crème with milk.

You ask for the bill by saying L'addition, s'il vous plaît and the waiter does not bring it of his own accord because that is considered rushing.

• Prices displayed in the menu are service compris, that is include the service charge (15 percent) and tax, by law, so it is not added.
• So the tip (pourboire) is optional and not necessarily expected: leaving a few euros or rounding up for excellent service is enough (about 5 to 10 percent for satisfaction), and it is not required in a café (a few cents are sometimes left).
• Payment by card, contactless and with titres-restaurant (meal vouchers) that the employer gives and sets their use is available.
• And bills are split, partager l'addition.
• And the restaurant must display prices outside and give you a note (receipt) on request.
• And in tourist places beware of an addition salée (an inflated bill) and check the bill, and if you complain speak to the manager then SignalConso.

The café is a social institution: people sit for hours over a cup of coffee reading and talking, and prices differ by place: at the comptoir (the counter standing) cheaper, in the salle (inside) higher, and on the terrasse (outside) the highest.

• Coffee (about 1.5 to 3 euros) and drinks are paid when ordered or on leaving.
• Among etiquette: greet the staff Bonjour on entering and Au revoir and Merci on leaving, and do not call the waiter loudly but raise your hand or say Monsieur/Madame, s'il vous plaît, and speak calmly.
• At the table the hands stay visible (not under the table) and elbows are not placed, and the bread is put on the table (not on the plate) and used to wipe the sauce, and do not cut the salad with the knife.
• Cheese is eaten before dessert.
• And serious jokes about food are not considered acceptable, since discussion about food is part of the culture.
• And cigarettes are banned inside enclosed places.

The law obliges restaurants to inform customers of fourteen major allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, fish, crustaceans, sesame, mustard, soy, celery and others) on the menu or on request, so tell the waiter before ordering: Je suis allergique à….

• Halal food is available in Islamic restaurants, grills (kebabs), Arab and Turkish restaurants and many fast foods, and in ordinary French restaurants ask about meats and ingredients: Ce plat contient du porc ou de l'alcool ?, since some sauces contain wine (au vin) or alcohol, and soup lardons, and gelatine in desserts.
• And vegetarian (végétarien) and vegan (végan) options are widening.
• For booking (réserver) call or use TheFork or the restaurant's site, especially for evenings and weekends, and tell them the number of people, time and allergies.
• Attend on time and inform of delay or cancellation.
• And a guarantee card is sometimes requested.

Is service included in prices?