Only one week left to take advantage of the daily ceiling of 38 euros for lunch vouchers. It will return to 19 euros from July 1 confirms this Friday the Ministry of the Economy. Lunch cards and other restaurant tickets can also no longer be used on weekends and public holidays.
The daily ceiling for restaurant tickets has doubled since the first confinement in 2020
The doubling of this ceiling to 38 euros and the authorization to use this means of payment also on weekends and public holidays had been decided at the end of the first containment in 2020. As the health crisis continued, the system had been renewed several times, the last of which was in February until June 30.
“These measures have made it possible to boost consumption in restaurants” and “accelerate the use of tickets saved by employees due to health restrictions”according to Bercy. “Today, these two causes have died out” and “the stock of tickets has been exhausted”the old 2021 tickets having been replaced by tickets valid in 2022, notes the ministry.
Trade unionists “disappointed but not surprised”
The president of the GNI (independent hotel and catering) union, Didier Chenet said to himself “disappointed but not surprised, insofar as this measure was a temporary aid put in place in the context of the Covid epidemic”. On the other hand, he asks the reduction in the amount of commissions perceived by the operators of these titles.
The restaurant voucher market, from which 4 million employeesis historically run by four major players, Edenred (Ticket Restaurant), Groupe Up (Chèque Déjeuner), Sodexo (Pass Restaurant, formerly Chèque Restaurant) and Natixis (Apetiz, formerly Chèque de Table).
In December 2019, these companies had been sentenced by the Competition Authority to a total fine of 415 million for anti-competitive practices – they appealed and the decision is expected on November 24, 2022.