INTRODUCTION Due to their dual nature—combining economic performance with cultural significance—gastronomy and hospitality services have become a focal point of regulatory interest within the internal market framework of the European Union. In 2022, the accommodation and food services sector in the EU employed some 10.9 million people, accounting for 6.8% of all jobs in the business economy. The sector’s added value amounted to €280.7 billion, underscoring its importance not only in the domestic economy, but also in the context of cross-border tourism and growing consumer mobility2. More than an economic activity, dining out constitutes a social practice rooted in shared habits, symbolic meaning, and intergenerational continuity. Restaurants function as lived spaces of connection, ritual, and cultural expression, which makes their legal regulation particularly nuanced and sensitive. At the same time, consumer expectations have evolved significantly over the last two decades. EU citizens increasingly demand not only high quality and food safety, but also transparency regarding food origin, sustainability, and ethical sourcing, as well as a consistent standard of service. These preferences, shaped by greater mobility, digitalisation, and global awareness, place growing pressure on the legal framework to respond effectively3. The EU consumer legislation, therefore, needs to be passed in both firm and flexible form: firm enough to offer efficient protection without infringing on national culinary variety and autonomy. Gastronomic globalization and national legal and culinary traditions diffusion put the regulation both under a harmonized but also context-adjusted regulatory requirement—able to operate cohesively both at local and Union level. The on-premises restaurant services law is therefore a paradigmatic case of the manner in which EU law attempts to balance the freedom of entrepreneurship with the obligation of consumer protection, keeping safely in mind cultural particularism. This field of juridical research also gives rise to the constitution of Gastronomy Law as a novel inter-disciplinary branch of law, situated at the crossroads between consumer protection, regulation of the internal market, and preservation of cultural heritage. 2 Businesses in the accommodation and food services sector: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/ index.php?oldid=77333&title=Businesses_in_the_accommodation_and_food_services_sector (access: 1.05.2025). 3 European Commission, Retail, Food & Hospitality — Consumer Trends Hub 2024: https://dwfgroup.com/en/ news-and-insights/insights/2025/3/reg-and-eu-updates-02-march (access: 1.05.20025). 542 KAROLINA PRUCHNIEWICZ
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