What does this desire to extend the use of meal vouchers in supermarkets inspire you?
I am going to have very strong words: this is an assassination of the very concept of a restaurant ticket! The basic principle was to allow lunch to employees whose companies do not have catering. It was completely misguided. I can understand that, during the Covid period, there is a temptation to use restaurant vouchers to go shopping. This decision was to be temporary. There, we no longer agree at all!
Can you quantify this shortfall?
In the 4th quarter of 2022, 46.5% of restaurant vouchers were still used in catering. At the end of the 2nd quarter of 2024, we were only at 40.1%. Meanwhile, in large and medium-sized stores, we went from 22.4% to 30.80%. The curve is obvious. We have been on a constant downward slope since the Covid period. It's violent for us. In one year, 576 million euros in turnover disappeared for restaurants. In mass distribution, it’s 756 million more! At some point, no, we can't be happy.
What do you say to your customers put off by increased prices?
We took the rise in food prices the same way they did. And we are obliged to maintain reasonable prices. As a result, our “gross operating income” has declined. Just 15 years ago, pre-tax net profits from catering were between 7 and 11%. Today, the average is between 2.5 and 3.5. This means that if there is the slightest problem, you are dead…
Could extending the exemption put certain restaurants at risk?
Since the start of the year, the share of catering companies which have placed themselves under the protection of commercial courts has increased by 44%. It's huge! But we are losing all these people who prefer to go shopping with their restaurant tickets. The decline continues. We are angry with the supermarkets. They have achieved the feat of making the restaurant voucher a payment voucher.
Are you advocating for differentiated payment ceilings between restaurants and supermarkets?
In the public's mentality, it's over, there's no going back. As we have been “banana” by the government and by the supermarkets, we are trying to save the leftovers. If it's still possible.
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