The Seven Times restaurant in Vaulx-en-Velin has been shut down by the local prefecture, pending the fulfillment of no less than 39 corrective measures for serious breaches of local hygiene rules. But this isn’t the first controversy for Lyon’s “largest halal-certified food court.”
Last December, Seven Times launched an all-girls room, which was finally ended over outcries of discrimination. The restaurant insisted that the “100% girls” area had zero link to Islam. But locals weren’t buying it.
Vaulx-en-Velin : le fast-food halal proposant salle réservée aux femmes, salle de prière et interdisant l’alcool fermé d’urgence pour mauvaise hygiène (MàJ) https://t.co/6lrYyDNhHH pic.twitter.com/8Difi9uofX
— Fdesouche.com est une revue de presse (@F_Desouche) April 24, 2026
National Rally (RN) deputy Jérôme Buisson at the time denounced the move as “unacceptable and illegal separatism” in a post sharing a TikTok video from the restaurant’s channel that clearly indicates only women may go to the girls-only room (seemingly in the back and completely shut away), while the rest of the restaurant, out in the open, is reserved for men. The man in the video is clearly pleased with the space provided for men, seemingly referencing some sort of cultural norm that this is appropriate.
Le restaurant Lyonseventimes à Vaulx-en-Velin semble pratiquer un séparatisme inadmissible et illégal en isolant dans une salle à part les femmes. Les clients sont donc triés par sexe. Trouvez-vous ceci normal @prefetrhone ? C’est de la discrimination inacceptable en France 🇫🇷 ! pic.twitter.com/t3BuUA1UaX
— Jérôme Buisson (@jerome_buisson) December 11, 2025
Unfortunately, this is France, and people responded accordingly.
French law also stipulates that any establishment open to the public, such as a restaurant, cannot deny service or restrict access to specific areas based on sex.
For its part, the owner of Seven Times told Le Figaro, “It’s 20 square meters out of 400 where women can gather to celebrate birthdays or graduations. We’re very far from communalism; everyone comes as they are and sits wherever they want.” At the time, the owner also considered filing a complaint against Buisson.
As seen in the video posted by Fdesouche, the restaurant also has a prayer room and indicates that families may also gather for celebrations in the larger open area. They did, however, eventually backtrack on the dedicated room for women, reportedly removing the large sign denoting the “100-girls” area. Now, Seven Times has new legal issues.
During a visit by agents from the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP) on Monday, April 20, 2026, several deficiencies were noted at the restaurant, reported Le Progrés. Violations included the presence of dead flying pests, the risk of unsanitary conditions due to chemical contamination, inadequate maintenance and cleaning of the premises, and poor storage and preservation conditions for raw materials.
Shockingly, the portal also discovered that one of the managers also owned another restaurant in Villefranche-sur-Saône, the Naan Factory, that was also shuttered in April over hygiene and food safety regulation violations. Fines were also imposed in this case due to the presence of three undeclared employees, two of whom were also undocumented.