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The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

wired.co.uk

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Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#31

Post by thaumasiotes »

bsder wrote: post #28
renewiltord wrote: post #6

Fast 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.

> Specialty's What killed them? We lost ours just about 18 months ago. They seemed to be in a perfect spot, too. Only restaurant in a 20 floor office building. We used them for lunch when customers came in all the time. How could you screw that one up? Or was it that all their leases expired simultaneously and they just couldn't pay the now-expensive rent?

I was recently informed by a friend in Shanghai that a lot of KFCs have closed down, presumably due to covid-related business slowing. (There used to be about 1 KFC per city block.)

That seemed understandable, until I learned a lot of them had been replaced with other fried chicken places.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#33

Post by renewiltord »

plausibledeny wrote: post #22
renewiltord wrote: post #6

Fast 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.

Except 7-11 (and other convenience stores) sandwiches are pretty good (sometimes great) in Japan. It's all about what customers will accept, if people will buy crap that's what will be offered.

7-Eleven in Japan is totally different. Food there was totally serviceable and sometimes good. I'm talking about the US variant.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#34

Post by thrownawaygone1 »

xwdv wrote: post #24
crazygringo wrote: post #19

As 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…

These sort of places prey on people who have no idea what a proper amount of protein looks like. A single slice of ham is so small an amount it’s practically a rounding error in the overall scheme of a balanced diet.

  prey on people who have no idea what a proper amount of protein looks like
Yes, the protein-sighted. That poor disadvantaged group of people who, to no fault of their own, were born without the ability to see protein.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#35

Post by legerdemain »

crazygringo wrote: post #19

As 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 had to travel to our London offices from California quite a few times over the span of a couple of years, so I became closely acquainted with breakfast at Pret.

Pret's smoked salmon sandwiches (unavailable at US locations) are moderately filling and utterly delicious. A quick bite at the Holborn Pret in the morning before work is a cherished memory.

By comparison, I actively avoid sandwiches from Potbelly/Jimmy John's/Ike's, because chasing down a lump of pickled and brined meats with a cool glass of mayonnaise makes me queasy for hours.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#36

Post by legerdemain »

AznHisoka wrote: post #32

I always read the name as “Pet a Manager” which makes me never want to step inside one.

Luckily, the name just means "ready to eat" in French.

Perhaps they could have done like Panera and renamed themselves to something that wouldn't upset easily confused American diners?

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#37

Post by dreen »

While I agree with other posters here that Pret has overpriced mediocre food the standard coffee they offer is IMHO better than at every other similar place. That includes Starbucks, Nero, Costa etc

OTOH, I havent bought a single cup since March since Im getting my beans from Pact.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#38

Post by [deleted] »

crazygringo wrote: post #29
ggm wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> that they typically feed a family of four That's true of some things at American sit-down restaurants. But hardly true for a cold sandwich at a sandwich shop. Even a Subway "footlong" club sandwich is just 620 calories. Assuming a 2,000 cal/day diet, that's a little under a third of what you need. Or, in other words, exactly the right size for a balanced lunch if your calorie requirements are on the lesser side. Ho…

[deleted]

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#39

Post by mortenjorck »

JustARandomGuy wrote: post #26

American here (work in downtown Chicago), I used to get Pret several times a week as one of their stores was right next door to my office. They have delicious sandwiches, bakery items, and fruit cups, but it's very expensive - a croissant and a breakfast sandwich ran close to $10. It's a great place if you want to eat healthy and have a short lunch time, but there are better options to deliver from if you're WFH.

I'll miss them. (If you're not aware, Pret permanently closed all its Chicago locations except UChicago last month: https://chicago.eater.com/2020/8/24/21396276/pret-a-manger-s...)

I just hope Chicgao's own euro-style sandwich chain Hannah's Bretzel survives.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#40

Post by Gustek »

I used to work at the Pret during my student years. All employees, we were very puzzled by why Pret is so popular and why are they willing to pay so much for the food. Today with a better-paid job, when in the centre and need to get a quick snack, Pret is often my choice. End of the day they have good food and offer good service. You hear many stories about people who used to work for McD and they say they will never eat there again. I can confidently say that at Pret, I did not see any red flags that would make me not eat there.

I wonder how the subscription idea will work for them. Pret is a sandwich shop, but most of the profit comes from coffee. When I used to work there, the price of a coffee was £2, and the cost was £0.20. I guess they expect most people to not max out on the offer, which is probably a reasonable assumption.

At the time, we were told the reason Pret does not offer free coffee after N transactions is because they want to make a customer feel special when they get free coffee. That's why all employees are allowed to give free coffee to anyone at their discretion, just not too many :) Sounds like it is about to change.

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