I saw these all over New York in Christmas 2019. Ended up grabbing a bite to eat and was pretty impressed with the food. Definitely fills a market gap for fast, small, semi-healthy food. No oversized combo meals there.
The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
11–20 of 192 posts
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#12We need to wait and see how things develop. Even if people continue to WFH in the long term, I think many would still like to buy Pret a Manger (and others) products because it's not because people are at home that they necessarily want to cook their lunch every day or don't want to buy snacks. So there may be an opportunity to adapt and perhaps we'll have Pret a Manger vans driving around in residential areas like i…
I couldn’t see that making up the shortfall. For starters a great many of London’s workforce don’t live inside the M25 so wouldn’t be eligible / viable for delivery. Then you have the issue that a lot of people would still prefer to cook for themselves. And this isn’t exactly a new market either, thanks to the likes of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat. So there’s already a lot of competition.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#13Fast eats like this are total rubbish in the UK. Don't know why. SF is so much better. Walk downstairs, grab a quick sandwich at Working Girls, or Specialty's (now dead), or Chipotle. Pret is like 7-Eleven food. Probably for the best that it dies. Fortunately, lots of food carts out in London that'll benefit.
Hm not surprised, from a country that has special racks to 'cool the toast'. So they don't have to eat it warm. So its properly cold and stale.
There’s plenty of great places to eat in the U.K., and London especially.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#14Fast eats like this are total rubbish in the UK. Don't know why. SF is so much better. Walk downstairs, grab a quick sandwich at Working Girls, or Specialty's (now dead), or Chipotle. Pret is like 7-Eleven food. Probably for the best that it dies. Fortunately, lots of food carts out in London that'll benefit.
Hm not surprised, from a country that has special racks to 'cool the toast'. So they don't have to eat it warm. So its properly cold and stale.
Toast racks are not to cool toast, they're to stop it from going soggy.
If you stack toast, the moisture from the toast below in the stack makes most of the stack soggy. Racking it lets the steam escape. You still eat the toast warm, just not wet.
If you find yourself without a toast rack, you can lean them against each other as if you're starting to make a house of cards to keep them crisp.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hm not surprised, from a country that has special racks to 'cool the toast'. So they don't have to eat it warm. So its properly cold and stale.
There’s plenty of great places to eat in the U.K., and London especially.
Yeah, London is a great place for food. I only take exception to Pret.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#16I’ve had pret in London on a brief visit. I had the Peking duck wrap. It was delicious and I had it as often as I could during that trip.
I came back to nyc with a healthy respect for pret and often ate from there at my last job. I will miss it, personally speaking, but I understand when others see it as unworthy of eating.
That is why a market with variety is so important, different tastes are served by those who serve them best.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#17Just in case people don't know, although the name sounds French I've literally never seen one in France. I guess it's like Mexico's Taco Bell or something
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#18Fast eats like this are total rubbish in the UK. Don't know why. SF is so much better. Walk downstairs, grab a quick sandwich at Working Girls, or Specialty's (now dead), or Chipotle. Pret is like 7-Eleven food. Probably for the best that it dies. Fortunately, lots of food carts out in London that'll benefit.
Your 7-Eleven comparison is spot on!
I never understood the allure, especially in a city with so many other options. It was a reliable place to get in out of the cold during our trip to London.
My kids loved it, though ;)
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#19As an American, I've always been so confused by Pret's sandwiches. Specifically, how they're like 95% bread.
Seriously. You get their "famous ham and cheese" and it's a mini baguette with like a single layer of ham and cheese. Like the ham and cheese is a condiment, rather than filling.
It's a stretch to call what they sell "sandwiches". It's closer to just flavored bread. And remember -- it's not just sugar that increases the risk for diabetes, but massive amounts of processed carbs, exactly like Pret.
I'll take my corner deli please, where a sandwich is more like a balanced meal: an actual full serving of protein inside, with lots of tomatoes, peppers and lettuce too.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger
#20As an American, I've always been so confused by Pret's sandwiches. Specifically, how they're like 95% bread. Seriously. You get their "famous ham and cheese" and it's a mini baguette with like a single layer of ham and cheese. Like the ham and cheese is a condiment, rather than filling. It's a stretch to call what they sell "sandwiches". It's closer to just flavored bread. And remember -- it's not just sugar that inc…
I've eaten both european and american sandwiches. American ones are certainly better "value for money" but only in the sense that they typically feed a family of four.
They're kind-of excessive. the US didn't invent the foot-long sub for no reason, worldwide obesity scores had to be earned.