Meals, apéro and dinner invitations

Newcomers commonly report that meals take up more time, and happen more at the same time for everyone, than they are used to:

• Everyone eats at the same time. In Insee's time-use survey, half of people in France were having lunch at 13:00, and the evening meal peaked at around 20:15. Eating took 2 hours 22 minutes a day on average in 2010, slightly more than in 1986 and 1999.
• Lunch is still a real meal. Campus France's guide for international students notes that sandwiches have spread, especially in big cities, but that a proper lunch with a set menu or dish of the day remains popular, and that a French meal can still mean a starter, main course, cheese and dessert. Dinner is generally from 20:00.
• Restaurant hours are fixed. The same guide describes neighbourhood bistros serving lunch roughly from 12:00 to 14:30 and dinner from 19:30 to 23:00, with only some places serving all day.
• The apéro. A drink with something to eat before dinner, at home or in a café, is described by Campus France as an important moment for meeting and talking. An invitation for an apéro is not always an invitation to dinner; an apéro dînatoire replaces the meal.
• Service is included. By law, prices in restaurants and cafés include service and are shown as prix service compris, so a tip is optional.

Meals as shared time

The Insee study found that eating is most often a shared activity at midday and in the evening, and that meals taken with others are rated among the most enjoyable moments of the day. Fewer than one in four lunches and fewer than one in five dinners were eaten alone in 2010. This helps explain why a lunch break with colleagues or a long dinner with friends is treated as time well spent rather than time lost.

Bills and tipping

Under the 1987 price display rules, restaurants and cafés must show prices that include taxes and service, with the words prix service compris. Menus must be displayed outside during service. Campus France's guide explains that a tip is therefore not compulsory; people who want to leave one usually give a little, from some coins to a few euros.

Being invited

The Connexion advises arriving a little after the stated time for a dinner at someone's home (around 10 to 15 minutes), since arriving early may catch hosts still preparing. It suggests bringing a small gift such as good chocolates or flowers, and notes that hosts usually plan the wine. The Sorbonne guide adds that guests wait until everyone is served before starting and thank the host at the end.

• Work and city life. Campus France notes that sandwiches and quick meals have spread, especially in big cities, and the Insee study found that 29 percent of under-25s snack between meals very often, against 15 percent of all adults (2010). Not everyone takes a long lunch every day.
• Households. Habits differ between families, generations and regions. Children usually have an afternoon snack (goûter) around 16:00, which schools also provide.
• Formality. A dinner invitation from colleagues or new acquaintances is usually more formal than an apéro with friends. If unsure, ask what to bring.
• Diet. If you follow a particular diet, tell your hosts when you accept the invitation rather than at the table.