“Traditional issuers should charge reasonable fees.”

Audrey and Bertrand, managers of the Des Fourneaux Ô Bureaux, combine their skills, their love of gastronomy, and their expertise to offer dishes delivered to offices in a totally "restaurant" spirit. Having opened their business during the Covid lockdown, they rely mainly on their office-based customers' lunch breaks and, as a result, depend on meal voucher payments, which represent a significant portion of their turnover. They share with us the difficulties they face every day and outline their ideal meal voucher model.

Pourriez-vous vous présenter et présenter Des Fourneaux Ô Bureaux ?

We opened our very small business in May 2021, based on delivering lunches to employees of companies in our sector.

We are what is known as a dark kitchen, or a restaurant that only offers delivery, but above all (and first and foremost) we are lovers of fine food and fresh, seasonal produce. We therefore strive to update our menu every week, in true restaurant style.

What are the main challenges you face today?

The issue of commissions charged on meal vouchers is well known. We obviously cannot refuse meal vouchers because our customers mainly pay with paper meal vouchers or meal voucher cards.

Cependant, il faut reconnaître que les commissions des 4 grands émetteurs actuels en France vont de 2,5% à 6% (voir plus !), quant à leurs délais de remboursement ils peuvent aller de 3 à 28 jours selon les émetteurs et le type de titres-restaurants (papier ou titres dématérialisés). Ces délais impactent directement notre trésorerie si « chère » aux restaurateurs débutants que nous sommes ! De plus, les relevés de commissions pratiquées par chacun des émetteurs sont difficiles à comprendre et les émetteurs quasiment injoignables par téléphone.  

Ideally, both long-standing issuers and newcomers to the meal voucher market should charge reasonable fees (less than 3%) and offer faster processing times so that small businesses like ours can continue to treat their customers.

Pourquoi soutenez-vous la démarche de Worklife ?

Parce que Worklife est 100% dématérialisé - écologie oblige !, parce qu’ils ne pratiquent aucune commission auprès des restaurateurs et enfin parce que nous avons eu un véritable contact avec leur service commercial !