I'm talking about that it all taste horrible and fake to me. I know they say it's handmade and fresh but all I had (in center of London and on Gatwick airport) tasted tired and artificial and it being wrapped in tons of plastic does not help. This compared to other places (around the corner usually), where it's freshly prepared (so the baguette or sandwich cut and your toppings added, not premade) in front of you and put in a paper bag or in nothing if you eat it straight away. If you put the condiments on the sandwich and wrap it and put it in a cooler (like Pret does), the moist will make it just soggy crap.
Even my local supermarket bakes baguettes all day long instead of 'driving them in' in the morning and being 'maximally 1 day old' according to Pret (which is contested all over the web but let's say 1 day old max is true); 10+ hours is far too old for bread with toppings wrapped in plastic), IMHO. I understand this should be much cheaper to run, but, for instance, my supermarket is cheaper still and nicer, so the cheap (looking, feeling, tasting) factor of premaking everything does not reflect in the prices.
Which is, again, the matter of taste; some people like those soggy things. Maybe you do too or you have a different experience because you went to a US one or one that has different facilities (maybe in other countries they are better; I cannot believe French or Belgian people would eat this quality food while surrounded by freshness)? I went more than once to different ones and it was all equally bad. Especially when you are in London, there are far more superior places around every corner (even at the airport; Jamie's / Wagamama are next door, why would you ever...). I just rather skip a meal than eat a bad one, which is fine I think.
Even most of the images make me cringe [0]. And most of these images are pro images and promotion images; the soggy gunk in my hands didn't look this 'nice'. This for instance [1] would be a reason to go; however, they pulled it because this pic is not real; the real thing was... not good, hence they pulled it (ofcourse the bread is bad if you trying to emulate a french feel but then prepack it). While the Le Pain version [2] is always spot on; nice baguettes, consistent quality and not premade.
Disclaimer: I can only speak for the London Prets as I worked close to one (at a bank) there and went a few times with my colleagues until deciding it was too horrible to actually eat. And only went to the HK Le Pain; I didn't know they had them in London, but seems they do (at least before Covid). If you only care about how quick it is, then, yes, it's quick; I don't however; I care about the taste and quality.
And like I said; it's taste, can't really agree/disagree (or justify as you say), just chat about it; you have a different taste than I have; that's fine; it's not worse or better or whatever; it's probably more convenient (I am very picky about what I eat; it has to be good always, which is why I cook/make most of what I eat myself for the past 20 years, including baking bread (not bread machine; by hand)) to be you, but I seek convenience/saving time in other things.
[0] https://www.google.com/search?q=pret+manger+sandwich&tbm=isc...
[1] https://london.eater.com/2019/10/25/20931811/pret-manger-jam...
[2] https://www.openrice.com/en/hongkong/p-le-pain-quotidien-p54...
> It's just bread, salad, vegetables, meat, butter, prepared conventionally.
Some reading materials: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2142241/uk-ad... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/12/pret-a...
Nothing conventional about it unless you mean mass manufacturing, added chemicals and storing it for a day are conventional for a fresh made sandwich with toppings. Maybe they are in some places, not here though.