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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

#161

Post by zwaps »

zelos wrote: post #152
chrisseaton wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But presumably these people are aware that there are people who aren't living on a pound a day. They can't be genuinely surprised that most people out there can afford a couple of pounds for lunch? They'd have to be ignorant of the basic economic state of the nation to be surprised by this.

I don't know: as a reasonably well paid software developer I still find the amount people are prepared to pay for lunch surprising. As the article mentions, once you buy coffee+sandwich+pastry+fruit you can easily be over £10, which is something like the price of a new Macbook every year?

What is the alternative? What is the opportunity cost of doing so?

I'd imagine enough people going there earn enough such that even the price of a new Macbook is not even a thing.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#162

Post by fastball »

saberience wrote: post #124
twic wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sandwiches in the UK are a scandal. Pret got huge in part because their sandwiches we so much better than the other options. Imagine that! When Pret launched, your options were a packet sandwich from Boots or something, which would be stale sliced bread with a single layer of tasteless waxy cheese, or something from a sandwich shop, where the choices are (1) tuna mayonnaise that has been there since yesterday (2) a c…

I'm not sure I agree with this AT ALL. I've spent most of my adult life split between New York (5+ years), California (5+ years), and also Berlin and Paris for a few years. I'm originally British and live in London now. I've eaten sandwiches in all of these countries (obviously). Pret's sandwiches hold up to any sandwiches I've had in any of those countries. I've had the occasional better sandwich (especially in Pari…

I currently live in London and eat Pret all the time.

I have easily found better sandwich shops than Pret in NYC, Boston, Chicago, LA, Berlin, Paris, SF... I could go on.

Specifically in NYC there are some amazing sandwich places all over Manhattan (though that's not to say the other boroughs don't have excellent shops as well). My favorites are generally the Italian-style sandwich shops which have great Italian cured meats.

In response to your last paragraph, I think that's part of what people are complaining about – there are precious few places in London where you can get a freshly made sandwich, and for being pre-made, Pret isn't much cheaper than a lot of the fresh-made sandwiches you can get in other countries.

Also I think fresh-made is maybe giving a bit too much credit to that idea, as Subway is freshly made but I'd much rather have a Pret.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#163

Post by JoeAltmaier »

kybernetikos wrote: post #14
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #9

Earlier 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.

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.

Yeah and they sell bagged loaves of toast. Not warm then.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#164

Post by mprovost »

james412 wrote: post #120

Pret and Itsu (same founders) have been my default shops for many years because you simply don't have to think, walking in and out in under 2 minutes is absolutely to be expected, and if you're a bit autistic and enjoy routine, can have precisely the same choc bar + coffee + salad + sandwich with identical consistency on every single visit Their food is hardly amazing, but it is wonderfully consistent. Truly hope the…

Dominic Raab (currently the UK's foreign secretary) is (in)famous for having the same Pret meal for lunch every (working) day: a chicken caesar and bacon baguette, with a pot of fruit and the same smoothie.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/26/is-it-w...

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#165

Post by wenc »

zelos wrote: post #152
chrisseaton wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But presumably these people are aware that there are people who aren't living on a pound a day. They can't be genuinely surprised that most people out there can afford a couple of pounds for lunch? They'd have to be ignorant of the basic economic state of the nation to be surprised by this.

I don't know: as a reasonably well paid software developer I still find the amount people are prepared to pay for lunch surprising. As the article mentions, once you buy coffee+sandwich+pastry+fruit you can easily be over £10, which is something like the price of a new Macbook every year?

Well my rationale is a little different. I tend to buy lunch every day because I like fresh/hot food, I like variety and I like putting money into the local economy (many lower income folks depend on their food service salaries). And I enjoy doing other things with my leisure time than prepping meals.

Nothing wrong with prepping food on the weekends — many find it therapeutic while others do it out of financial need or for dietary reasons - but I personally wouldn’t do it to save a few bucks. I was a poor student for many years, and I’ve had to do it out of need, but I’m glad to be able to live differently now.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#166

Post by rswail »

ggm wrote: post #53
mortenjorck wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The GP is clearly using hyperbole, but there are much more calorific sandwiches at Subway. From Subway's nutrition datasheet (PDF): http://www.subway.com/~/media/USA/Documents/Nutrition/US_Nut... There are several standard menu items over 900 calories for a "footlong," with the Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt coming in at 1,060 calories.

Hyper-Bowl would describe typical US portions. The good thing is, that its also common to get "to go" boxes alongside so you can reasonably eat twice for one purchase. It is very rare (on my personal observation, I have no stats here so its anecdata) for anyone to walk out of a ready-made food outlet without the soda and chips. I have also felt at times "pret" was a bit stingy. If I get a turkey and brie sandwich, I…

The HSP will go down in history as one of Australia's great culinary creations, along with Vegemite and the meat pie.

I'd say pavlova as well, but we're trying to be nice to our Kiwi cousins so they'll let us visit.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#167

Post by rswail »

pkaye wrote: post #72

In Silicon valley there was a chain called Specialty's Cafe and Bakery. They shut down permanently after the pandemic but it was very common place for offices to order meals for lunch meetings. The sandwiches were bland but the cookies were always nice.

"after the pandemic"... this sounds like a message left by a time traveller.

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#168

Post by wenc »

dageshi wrote: post #146
lkramer wrote: post #141

I never understood the British sandwich culture. I'm currently living and working London and the number of times people will just go for a quick sandwich, which typically means some depressing mayo filled abomination with a packet of crisps and a softdrink is depressing when there are genuinely nice places to have lunch, for not much more. What is even more mind boggling is when you work with British people abroad at…

For some people, perhaps a lot of people, many meals are just fuel. Those sandwiches are an acceptable unit of fuel, they come in an acceptable variety at acceptable prices and can be bought in an acceptable amount of time. You don't have to make decisions about what to order, you don't have to queue (or at least not for very long), it's acceptable fuel.

This. There are individuals and cultures with the food as fuel mentality and it works for them. I have many friends who are like this.

I’m decidedly the opposite - more of a food as culture and as something to be appreciated kind of person.

I think we need all kinds. But I’d also rather work in the UK but eat in Italy. (To be fair, Indian food in the UK is top notch)

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#169

Post by wenc »

Chris_Newton wrote: post #82
barry-cotter wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Up until 20 years ago a foreign language was compulsory in UK secondary schools through the equivalent of US high school. The default foreign language that virtually every school would teach was French, with other languages usually being a nice to have. There’d be the occasional school that taught German but not French. Up until very recently it could be assumed that virtually every educated Briton could read French…

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Europe, speaking multiple languages to a useful level is completely normal. They really are much better at that than we (Brits) are, and the decision to drop the language requirements we did have in schools has always seemed like a backward step to me. I doubt Pret’s name really makes much difference to who it appeals to, though. It’s a well-known brand, but if you’re selling sandwiches and co…

In most countries I’ve visited, multilingual public signage was the norm, especially in tourist areas but often beyond, like in public transportation and such.

London signage is the most unilingual I’ve seen anywhere. In the US you will often see Spanish, and in Canada you sometimes see French but in the UK, nope, just English. I guess it makes sense... what other language would one put on UK signage?

Re: The Rise and Fall of Pret a Manger

#170

Post by saberience »

sagichmal wrote: post #156
saberience wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I agree with this AT ALL. I've spent most of my adult life split between New York (5+ years), California (5+ years), and also Berlin and Paris for a few years. I'm originally British and live in London now. I've eaten sandwiches in all of these countries (obviously). Pret's sandwiches hold up to any sandwiches I've had in any of those countries. I've had the occasional better sandwich (especially in Pari…

Pret sandwiches are airport food, it's incoherent to suggest they're comparable to the sandwich you can get in from bodega deli counter in New York.

Dude those bodega deli sandwiches in NYC are mostly shit. Cheap bagel, cheap bread, cheap meat. The only good thing is the "value for money" since you get basically an inch of meat, but the meat is the cheapest bottom of the shelf quality meat you can buy.

Trust me, I spent years getting those bodega sandwiches in New York and sure, when you're drunk they seem good, but it's not quality fare by any stretch of the imagination.

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