What to Do, What Not to Do and What to Remember
DO:
- Eat where the French eat.
- Go to a 3 Michelin star restaurant for lunch. You will get the same service and cuisine for a much more affordable price.
- Check to be sure your restaurant is open. Remember that a lot of restaurants close for vacation in August and the Christmas holidays.
- Be sure to reserve your restaurant (not cafés or salons de thé) in advance. This is especially true for the higher end restaurants. ‘Remember that the French wouldn’t consider having dinner before 7:30 at the earliest. Most reservations are at 8 - 9 p.m.
- Try to use your French, but don’t feel insulted if the waiter uses English back to you. He is simply trying to help you out, not insulting your French. It is always good to use as much French as possible, especially “Bonjour”, “Bonsoir”, “Excusez-moi”, “S’il vous plait”, “Merci” and “Au revoir”.
- Keep your voice down in a French restaurant if you don’t want to stand out.
- Dress well (In a nicer, non-touristy restaurant). Leave your white tennis shoes, your shorts, your tee shirts, your baseball caps (or any hats) in your hotel room.
DON’T:
- Stop for a drink or lunch in the center of the tourist attractions. You will pay too much for possibly a lesser quality meal.
- Order one entrée to split with your travel partner. Portions in France are small, and intended for one person.
- Expect separate checks. Keep track of who owes what.
- Ask for a doggie bag. It’s simply not done.
- Call the waiter “garçon”. In spite of what your high school French teacher may have taught you, this is considered an insult. Call him “Monsieur” and a female “Mademoiselle”.
- Eat with your fingers. This includes chicken, French fries and other things we would consider “finger food”.
REMEMBER:
- French mealtimes vary from what you may be used to. Lunch is usually served between noon and 2 p.m. Dinner usually starts at around 7 – 7:30, and many restaurants serve late. It is not unusual to see people eating dinner at 11:30 p.m. in Paris. If you need to eat outside these times, go to a brasserie or a pizzeria.
- In France, the set price menu, or “formule” is usually the best value. You can usually get an “entrée” (appetizer), “plat” and dessert for a fixed price. Sometimes you can do entrée/plat or plat/dessert as well.
- Ask for “une carafe d’eau” for a pitcher of tap water, rather than buying the bottled water. Paris’ tap water is perfectly fine.
- The tip is included in the price of the meal. No additional tip is necessary, although if service was to your liking it is customary to leave a few more euros.
- In France you will not receive the bill until you ask for it. This gives you more time to leisurely enjoy your meal. When you are ready for your bill, simply ask for “L’addition, s’il vous plait” and your bill will be brought to your table.
