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Pret a Manger (informally "Pret" or "Prets") is a UK sandwich retailer. The company was founded in London in 1986 by friends Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe who met while studying property law at the Polytechnic of Central London. They claim to be passionate about food, the sandwiches are made from natural ingredients without preservatives. All sandwiches are made on the day of purchase, those left at the end of the day are given to the homeless. They use cardboard packaging rather than sealed plastic, to emphasize that the sandwiches are fresh, and cannot be kept overnight.
The name is French for "ready to eat".
McDonald's bought a £25 million stake in the company, and they opened some outlets in New York. Unlike other fast food outlets Pret a Manger is not a franchise.
The menu includes sandwiches, filled baguettes, soup, salad, and coffee.
Messages in the store, on the packaging and on the website remind you of their company ideology, messages often numbered "Pret passion fact no. 74" for example. The packaging and website also include recipes for some of their products, supposedly so the customer can make himself or herself a sandwich when all Pret a Manger locations in a community are closed or if the customer lives and/or works too far away from any Pret a Manger stores. A sticker on a pack of sandwiches says:
- No factory ★ No Shelf-life ★ Made in-store ★ No 'display until' ★ No obscure chemicals
- Because only pret can
- share our recipes and create preservative free goodies using natual ingredients delivered before dawn to every Pret shop. Passionate chefs, hours of preparation and loads of proper fresh food.
Criticism
The sandwiches are made at 5am and are stored in a fridge, they can be quite cold if eaten straight from the packet, without being given time to warm up. Other sandwich shops, like the Subway chain or independent retailers, will make a sandwich while the customer watches, rather than one that has been sitting in a fridge for hours.
In the past, no nutritional information was provided, but this policy has been changed and information for each of their products is available from their website.
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