Pret A Manger will be opening the doors to its first Veggie Pret shop in Manchester in October (the first outside of London) following hundreds of customer requests on social media asking the company to open Veggie Prets in more cities.
The fourth Veggie Pret shop will open on Deansgate with a new menu (which will launch in Veggie Pret shops in London at the same time), and it will combine veggie classics with new dishes, such as Pret’s Butternut & Cauliflower Gratin and a Spicy Halloumi & Peppers Toasted Baguette.
Hannah Dolan, Head of Food Development at Pret, commented, “When we asked customers on social media where they’d like to see the next Veggie Pret, Manchester was the top request. We’re delighted to be able to reveal today that the city is our next location.
“Veggie Pret is still growing and the future is looking as green as ever. We want customers to keep telling us what they think – and where they’d like to see Veggie Pret next.”
A few years ago, Pret’s CEO, Clive Schlee, started talking about vegetarian food on his blog as he had noticed sales of vegetarian and vegan food growing. The feedback was overwhelming.
Customers demanded veggie recipes that were so delicious they could be enjoyed by everybody and so Pret opened its first veggie shop in Soho in London.
This was meant to be a pop-up but it quickly became a permanent shop due to its success. Two more opened in London in 2017 and now a fourth will open in Manchester next month.
The Veggie Pret concept has inspired Pret to launch more vegetarian and vegan dishes in all Pret shops.
More than half of the range of sandwiches and salads in regular Pret shops were vegetarian or vegan in 2017, and Pret’s vegan sweet treats (such as the vegan Dark Chocolate & Almond Butter cookie) are some of the company’s bestselling products.