Frequently Asked Questions

What does Le Pain Quotidien mean? 

Le Pain Quotidien is French for “the daily bread.”

What type of food does Le Pain Quotidien serve?  

At Le Pain Quotidien, we believe that food should be simple, nourishing and delicious. Our breakfast menu includes a range of organic breads, pastries, eggs, yogurt, organic coffee and teas. For lunch and dinner, our handmade organic wheat bread serves as the base for our signature tartines, and the perfect accompaniment to our soups, salads and quiches. Many of our menu items are vegetarian and vegan. Takeaway and catering menus offer fresh Le Pain Quotidien products to enjoy at home, offices or at events.

What is a tartine? 

A tartine is an open-faced sandwich. The name comes from the French verb tartiner, which means “to spread.”

Do you have vegan and vegetarian dishes?   

These days, we are all aware of the benefits of a plant-based diet. Not only is eating less meat better for us, it’s good for the planet. Le Pain Quotidien offers many vegan items that are labeled 100% botanical on our menus. All of our organic breads are vegan, except for brioche. Some of our most popular vegan dishes are the Avocado Tartine, Supergrains Bowl and Lentil & Avocado Salad.

Why is organic important?  

Eating organic is part of a healthy lifestyle, and Le Pain Quotidien is committed to offering as many organic products as possible. This begins with the organic flour we use to make the bread. Choosing organic ingredients is not only good for the body, it’s also good for the future of the world. The more the market for organic products grows, the fewer harmful pesticides will be dumped into the environment.

Which of your products are organic?  

We use organic ingredients whenever possible. This includes all of our breads, most of the products in the retail pantry, our beverages and homemade granola. Organic items and ingredients vary seasonally and globally.

What retail products does Le Pain Quotidien offer?  

Our retail shelves are filled with our favourite pantry items which are also featured in many of our recipes. The organic jams and chocolate spreads (blonde, brunette, noir, noisella and speculoos) as well as our organic cold pressed olive oil, balsamic, grey sea salt and black Malabar pepper mills are all shared on the communal tables in every restaurant.  We also offer our organic, 100% Arabic coffee for you to enjoy at home as well as a range of organic teas, including black, green and herbal teas. The signature crockery including tartine boards, teapots, cups and bowls are available for sale.

Does Le Pain Quotidien offer gluten-free options?  

We strive to provide as many gluten-free options as possible and offer all tartines on gluten-free crackers upon request. We also have other gluten-free menu options from salads to desserts. However, we do advise that your meal may contain traces of flour as we are not a gluten-free facility.

Are all your restaurants’ franchises? 

The majority of our restaurants are company-owned, however we do work with franchise partners in some markets. For more information about international franchise opportunities, email us at franchise@lepainquotidien.com.

Can I make any of the Le Pain Quotidien recipes at home?  

There are currently three Le Pain Quotidien cookbooks for sale, with the most recent launched in June 2013. This cookbook features over 100 recipes from Le Pain Quotidien founder and chef Alain Coumont, including breads, breakfast, soups, tartines, salads and desserts. Cookbooks can be purchased in Le Pain Quotidien restaurants as well as from select bookstores and websites.

 

Are our eggs cage-free?

Le Pain Quotidien is committed to sourcing 100% of our eggs  (shell, liquid, and egg products) from cage-free sources throughout our global operations for all owned, managed, and franchised properties by the end of 2025. Le Pain Quotidien will make our policy available in major languages and will publish annual progress reports towards this commitment. As of September 2023, we are proud to say that over 60% of our global supply of eggs and egg products comes from cage-free egg sourcing and we continue to work to accelerate our progress on this important issue.