The French Lunch Break at Work

Join colleagues for la pause déj, from the canteen to the bakery, and pay with your meal vouchers.

Lunch is a proper break in France: most people stop between 12:00 and 14:00 for 45 minutes to an hour, and eating alone at your desk is less common than in many countries. Big companies have a subsidised canteen (« la cantine » or « le restaurant d'entreprise »); elsewhere employers often give « titres-restaurant », meal vouchers now mostly on a card, accepted in restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets. A bakery « formule » (sandwich, drink and dessert) or a lunchbox brought from home, « une gamelle », are the cheap options.