Should your pizzeria open for lunch and evening, or for the evening only? More than one pizzeria in two (54.6%) runs both services, and nearly one in four (23.6%) opens only in the evening. The right choice depends above all on the lunchtime customers around you (1,534 pizzerias in 12 French départements – French administrative areas – OpenStreetMap, data as of 7 October 2026).
It is one of the first decisions when you open a pizzeria: how many services a day? One service means an oven to heat, dough balls to prepare, a team on site. Two services mean twice all of that, with a break in the middle.
This guide shows you how pizzerias that are already open have decided, then the questions to ask yourself so that you can decide in turn.
Four ways to open a pizzeria
| How it opens | Share of pizzerias | Number of pizzerias | Hours per week (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch and evening | 54.6% | 838 | 41 h 45 min |
| Evening only | 23.6% | 362 | 24 h |
| Continuously, without a break | 18.9% | 290 | 84 h |
| Lunch only | 2.9% | 44 | not published |
Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL), data as of 7 October 2026, 1,534 pizzerias in 12 French départements. See the full source.
In simple words:
- Lunch and evening. More than one pizzeria in two (54.6%) opens for lunch and evening. It is the most widespread way of opening. The typical lunch service runs from 11:30 to 14:00, the evening service from 18:00 to 22:00 (median values).
- Evening only. Nearly one pizzeria in four (23.6%) opens only in the evening. It is open 24 hours a week as a median: fewer hours, so lower staff costs, but also fewer opportunities to sell.
- Continuously. Among the pizzerias recorded, 18.9% open without a break between lunch and evening, 84 hours a week as a median: a span that is hard to sustain without several teams.
- Lunch only. Only 2.9% of pizzerias open only at lunchtime. It is rare.
For the details of typical hours, read our guide to pizzeria opening hours.
In Paris and in the other départements recorded
The choices change from one département to another. Here are the départements where at least thirty pizzerias were recorded:
| Département | Pizzerias recorded | Evening only | Lunch and evening | Continuously | Hours per week (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 338 | 3.6% | 60.7% | 34.0% | 51 h 30 min |
| Rhône et Métropole de Lyon | 283 | 21.6% | 56.9% | 18.7% | 37 h 30 min |
| Isère | 232 | 38.8% | 43.5% | 12.5% | 31 h 30 min |
| Bouches-du-Rhône | 166 | 38.6% | 36.8% | 19.9% | 33 h 45 min |
| Gironde | 139 | 20.9% | 64.8% | 10.8% | 35 h |
| Haute-Savoie | 110 | 33.6% | 50.9% | 13.6% | 34 h 45 min |
| Savoie | 65 | 24.6% | 55.4% | 18.5% | 38 h 30 min |
| Puy-de-Dôme | 54 | 31.5% | 53.7% | 14.8% | 36 h 30 min |
| Loire | 51 | 19.6% | 64.7% | 13.7% | 43 h |
| Ain | 50 | 26.0% | 66.0% | 6.0% | 32 h 45 min |
Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL), data as of 7 October 2026, 1,534 pizzerias in 12 French départements. See the full source.
Two of the départements recorded, Haute-Loire and Allier, have fewer than thirty pizzerias. With so few pizzerias, a single business moves the percentages by several points: their figures are not published here.
What the table shows:
Paris, a dense city, stands apart. Of the 338 pizzerias recorded in Paris, only 3.6% open only in the evening, and 34.0% open continuously. They are open 51 h 30 min a week as a median.
Evening only is not limited to the départements where few pizzerias were recorded. In Isère, 38.8% of the 232 pizzerias recorded open only in the evening. In Bouches-du-Rhône, it is 38.6% of the 166 pizzerias recorded. These are two of the best-represented départements in the data.
The lesson: do not deduce your opening hours from an overall figure. Look at your street, your neighbours, your customers.
Starting with a truck rather than a shop? These figures do not distinguish shops from trucks. Read our page for pizza food trucks instead.
Deciding for your pizzeria
The figures show what others do. They do not say what will work for you. Here are the questions that count.
Are there customers around you at lunchtime? Offices, a school, a market, shops? If so, lunchtime can carry your week. If the street is empty at lunchtime, a lunch service risks keeping you busy without filling your tills.
Can you sustain two services? Two services mean a long day with a break. When you are starting out, on your own or working as two, it is demanding. Be honest about what you can sustain every week.
Can your oven take being heated twice? A wood-fired oven or a large oven takes time to come up to temperature. Heating it for two short services does not cost the same as for one long evening service.
Can you start small? Many choices can be tested. You can open in the evening first, then add lunch when your customers are there. Or the other way round. Tell your customers clearly when your opening hours change.
The number of services per day also sets your preparation: one or two trays of dough balls, one or two rounds of prep. To calculate your quantities, read our guide to calculating your dough balls per service. And to avoid producing too much or too little, read the production mistakes that cost dear.
You still have to choose your closing days: read our guide which day to close your pizzeria. All these benchmarks are brought together in the Starting a pizzeria section.
Declaring your services in Pizza Planner Pro
These figures are a starting point. In Pizza Planner Pro, you declare your own services – lunch, evening, closing days – and you change them when your rhythm changes.
Frequently asked questions
How many pizzerias open only in the evening?
Nearly one in four. Of 1,534 pizzerias in 12 French départements recorded in OpenStreetMap on 7 October 2026, 362 open only in the evening, that is 23.6%.
Can a pizzeria open only at lunchtime?
Yes, but it is rare: 2.9% of the 1,534 pizzerias recorded open only at lunchtime, that is 44 pizzerias.
What is a pizzeria that is open continuously?
It is a pizzeria that does not close between lunch and evening. Of the 1,534 pizzerias recorded, 18.9% open continuously. They are open 84 hours a week as a median.
Do pizzerias in Paris open differently?
Yes. Of the 338 pizzerias recorded in Paris, only 3.6% open only in the evening and 34.0% open continuously. They are open 51 h 30 min a week as a median.
How to read these figures
These figures are a Pizza Planner Pro analysis of OpenStreetMap data, the collaborative map of the world. We counted the pizzerias whose opening hours appear in OpenStreetMap, in 12 French départements: Paris, Rhône et Métropole de Lyon, Isère, Bouches-du-Rhône, Gironde, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Puy-de-Dôme, Loire, Ain, Allier and Haute-Loire. That makes 1,534 pizzerias, recorded on 7 October 2026.
What you need to know to read them correctly:
- These are posted opening hours, not a measure of the number of customers or of sales.
- This is not the whole of France. Only the pizzerias of these 12 départements whose opening hours are filled in are counted.
- The data do not distinguish shops from trucks, or the neighbourhoods within a single département.
The full mention of the source and its licence is at the bottom of this page.
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