Witnesses say a man who shot a waiter dead in Paris on Friday lost his temper over a sandwich.

The 28-year-old died after he was shot in the shoulder at a pizza and sandwich restaurant in the Noisy-le-Grand suburb east of Paris.

Police told AFP that a murder investigation is on the way and the gunman is on the run.

One witness told French media that the gunman got angry because “his sandwich wasn't prepared quickly enough."

Residents to Le Parisien newspaper that neighbourhood has been growing more violent with increasing issues over drug-dealing and public drunkenness.

The restaurant opened three or four months before the shooting.