Eating out in Paris becomes more affordable

Good news for diners in France!

With the reduction of restaurant VAT from 19.6% to 5.5% with effect from July 2009, your holiday dining in France will become more affordable.

At the best of times, 19.6% VAT is a hefty tax on your travel budget for every meal that you have out and on top of that diners do like rewarding their friendly waiter who’s made their dining experience a great one.

With the global recession and reduction in travel, the restaurant sector is one of the main areas facing a drop in appetite for spending. Even amongst my groups of friends who are planning holidays, people are thinking about renting self-catering apartments so as to save money on dining out.

Of course M. Alain Ducasse has stolen the march on his French colleagues by introducing the VAT reduction at his eateries, on June 1st, a month before the official decrease.

At Spoon, as well as at his other three Parisian bistrots (Aux Lyonnais, Benoit and Rech), M. Ducasse promises his customers will enjoy a “reduced menu”, not in quality, but definitely in price.  Everyday, the chefs of his four restaurants will suggest a “VAT: Tout Va Arriver” menu that customers will be able to enjoy for lunch all year long.

According to Alain Ducasse “This is information that I wish to share with my clients in order to give them a reason to indulge.”

Good on M. Ducasse for taking the charge on this.  If you’re heading to Paris, there are four restaurants you can already count on for good food.

This restaurant VAT reduction  has just been accepted by the 27 European Union member countries, so we hope that before long other countries will follow suit.