Are 'doggy bags' taboo at French restaurants?
Asking for a 'doggy bag' may have gotten you a weird look in France a few years ago, but that may be changing as the country tries to tackle food waste.
Asking for a 'doggy bag' - take-home boxes or bags for leftovers after you have had a meal at a restaurant - is less common in France than it is in the United States.
The practice may not be as taboo as it is in Italy, but France does not have a tradition of 'doggy bags'. In fact, there isn't even a word for this in French - when talking about them French people use the English term.
You might be interested to know that doggy bags are masculine in French - un doggy bag.
This may have to do with portion sizes - Denis Courtiade, a restaurant manager at Alain Ducasse told Le Figaro in 2021 that "In the United States, Asia or even the Middle East, the portions are generous and the dishes intended to be shared by groups, whereas in France, the plates are generally less abundant and prepared in a more individual way."
Courtiade also pointed to manners, noting that "in many families, children are taught early to finish what is on their plates."
Doggy bags have also earned a bit of a bad reputation, with the people asking for them risking a 'penny-pincher' stereotype.
A 2014 study found that 15.1 percent of French people said that "asking for a 'doggy bag' makes you seem stingy". Another 11.1 percent percent of people went so far as to call it rude to ask for a doggy bag, 5.1 percent said it was unhygienic, and over a third of respondents (33.7 percent) called the practice 'useless'.
But attitudes have been changing in France when it comes to leftovers - some have pushed for the title 'gourmet bag' instead of American 'doggy bag' to encourage French people to take home their extra food.
There has also been legislative action - in 2016, the country passed a law aimed at combating food waste, which came into effect in 2021. It required that restaurants provide, for customers who request them, reusable or recyclable containers to take away uneaten food.
On top of that, the pandemic has helped to make people more accustomed to food in a reusable box and restaurants switched to takeout services.
The French takeaway market was worth €7 billion as of 2022 and expected to continue growing and reach €9.2 billion by 2026, according to reporting by BFMTV.
The fight against food waste
As of 2023, 10 million tonnes of food waste was still generated per year in France year, representing an estimated commercial value of €16 billion.
On average, about 157 grams of food were wasted per meal as of 2021, with food waste in restaurants being five times the level than food waste at home, according to Le Point.
There has been more legislation on the anti-waste front, including the wide-ranging Loi relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l'économie circulaire (law on anti-waste and towards a circular economy, also called "loi Agec") which was passed in 2020 and phases in new measures up until 2026.
READ MORE: Plastic bans to repair bonus: How France's anti-waste laws work
One measure prohibited fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's from using disposable tableware and cups for meals served on site. As such, any restaurant with more than 20 seats, which also includes work canteens and bakery chains, was forced to provide reusable and washable tableware for customers dining in.
Vocabulary help
Est-ce que je peux emporter mes restes à la maison ? - Could I please take home my leftovers?
À emporter - Takeaway
Est-ce que je pourrais avoir une boîte pour mes restes ? - Could I have a box for my leftovers?
Est-ce que je peux avoir un doggy-bag ? - Could I have a doggy bag?
Do you get doggy bags when eating out in France? Share your experiences in the comments section below
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Asking for a 'doggy bag' - take-home boxes or bags for leftovers after you have had a meal at a restaurant - is less common in France than it is in the United States.
The practice may not be as taboo as it is in Italy, but France does not have a tradition of 'doggy bags'. In fact, there isn't even a word for this in French - when talking about them French people use the English term.
You might be interested to know that doggy bags are masculine in French - un doggy bag.
This may have to do with portion sizes - Denis Courtiade, a restaurant manager at Alain Ducasse told Le Figaro in 2021 that "In the United States, Asia or even the Middle East, the portions are generous and the dishes intended to be shared by groups, whereas in France, the plates are generally less abundant and prepared in a more individual way."
Courtiade also pointed to manners, noting that "in many families, children are taught early to finish what is on their plates."
Doggy bags have also earned a bit of a bad reputation, with the people asking for them risking a 'penny-pincher' stereotype.
A 2014 study found that 15.1 percent of French people said that "asking for a 'doggy bag' makes you seem stingy". Another 11.1 percent percent of people went so far as to call it rude to ask for a doggy bag, 5.1 percent said it was unhygienic, and over a third of respondents (33.7 percent) called the practice 'useless'.
But attitudes have been changing in France when it comes to leftovers - some have pushed for the title 'gourmet bag' instead of American 'doggy bag' to encourage French people to take home their extra food.
There has also been legislative action - in 2016, the country passed a law aimed at combating food waste, which came into effect in 2021. It required that restaurants provide, for customers who request them, reusable or recyclable containers to take away uneaten food.
On top of that, the pandemic has helped to make people more accustomed to food in a reusable box and restaurants switched to takeout services.
The French takeaway market was worth €7 billion as of 2022 and expected to continue growing and reach €9.2 billion by 2026, according to reporting by BFMTV.
The fight against food waste
As of 2023, 10 million tonnes of food waste was still generated per year in France year, representing an estimated commercial value of €16 billion.
On average, about 157 grams of food were wasted per meal as of 2021, with food waste in restaurants being five times the level than food waste at home, according to Le Point.
There has been more legislation on the anti-waste front, including the wide-ranging Loi relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l'économie circulaire (law on anti-waste and towards a circular economy, also called "loi Agec") which was passed in 2020 and phases in new measures up until 2026.
READ MORE: Plastic bans to repair bonus: How France's anti-waste laws work
One measure prohibited fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's from using disposable tableware and cups for meals served on site. As such, any restaurant with more than 20 seats, which also includes work canteens and bakery chains, was forced to provide reusable and washable tableware for customers dining in.
Vocabulary help
Est-ce que je peux emporter mes restes à la maison ? - Could I please take home my leftovers?
À emporter - Takeaway
Est-ce que je pourrais avoir une boîte pour mes restes ? - Could I have a box for my leftovers?
Est-ce que je peux avoir un doggy-bag ? - Could I have a doggy bag?
Do you get doggy bags when eating out in France? Share your experiences in the comments section below
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