Pret a Manger, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

...in the form of a Pret a Manger Vanilla Passion Pot. These tasty little numbers were an added bonus to my ongoing enjoyment of Pret a Manger as a source of fresh and delicious lunch options.

Unfortunately, a little research in preparation for writing this review of Pret a Manger has brought me back to earth with a bump. Like many things in life, looking too closely at the details behind the illusion can be a disappointing reality check.
...background information might be useful. Pret a Manger was founded in 1986 by two young London graduates called Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe. The enterprising pair were fed up with the poor choice quality and service in local London sandwich shops. Believing they could do much better, they borrowed £17,000 and opened their first Pret branch. The philosophy behind their work was that food should be fresh, healthy and made with all natural ingredients. ... more

In Greek mythology, food of the gods was known as ambrosia. Until recently I believed I had found its earthly equivalent right here in Glasgow in the form of a Pret a Manger Vanilla Passion Pot. These tasty little numbers were an added bonus to my ongoing enjoyment of Pret a Manger as a source of fresh and delicious lunch options.

Unfortunately, a little research in preparation for writing this review of Pret a Manger has brought me back to earth with a bump. Like many things in life, looking too closely at the details behind the illusion can be a disappointing reality check.

In order to explain my reasoning here, a bit of background information might be useful. Pret a Manger was founded in 1986 by two young London graduates called Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe. The enterprising pair were fed up with the poor choice quality and service in local London sandwich shops. Believing they could do much better, they borrowed £17,000 and opened their first Pret branch. The philosophy behind their work was that food should be fresh, healthy and made with all natural ingredients.

Isn't that a nice story? Those nice boys rebelling against processed ham sandwiches and creating such a yummy and diverting alternative for the discerning masses. OK, so it meant they had to charge a bit more but upmarket clientele with an appreciation for the finer things in life seemed happy. The shop was a resounding success, and before long expansion was underway. With 100 shops in Britain, Beecham and Metcalfe were soon investigating the possibility of opening in America.

Cue ominous music here- as so many other British institutions have discovered to their detriment, the American market can be tough to conquer. In order to muster the financial clout needed for the challenge, some heavyweight backing was required. And who better than the Mighty McDonald's to provide the extra cash needed for the venture?

With McDonald's taking on a 33% share of the business, some disconcerted mutterings in the ranks was bound to occur. I should say at this juncture that I don't have particularly strong opinions about McDonald's one way or another. I realise there are a number of issues surrounding McDonald's business policies, especially concerning the environment, but I must admit to being relatively uninformed in this area.
What is apparent to me is that Pret a Manger is trying to walk a very fine line. On one hand, the whole Pret brand system is about asserting a certain company ethos while at the same time relying heavily on the resources of their very antithesis. I can live with that, but it does make me slightly cynical about the way Pret trumpet their convictions about the value of all natural, chemical free foods.

Enough doubts were raised in my mind to make me query what actually goes into the food. A sandwich bought at Pret will be packaged in a way that proclaims its freshness and quality without actually much information as to the ingredients. This concerns me.

For example, when I buy an item of food, the first thing I look at is the number of fat grams. I am not obsessive about this by any means, but I do like to know roughly what I am taking in during each meal so I can adhere as much as possible to some kind of healthy limit. If I have the option of choosing between a lower fat item, I'll generally choose it.

In order to actually find out the fat content of certain Pret items, such as the aforementioned ambrosial Passion Pots, I had to go to the company website. The "Menu" option provides a great deal of information. There I made the revelatory discovery that one of these little dessert pots contained a very, very high number of fat grams.

Now. I realise that when you buy a dessert item, if the fat grams on not listed on the packaging you can assume the worst. It was also pretty apparent when eating one of these things that its tastiness was probably directly proportionate to how fattening it was. But what bothers me about all of this is that instead of telling me directly so I can make an informed decision about my food choices, Pret a Manger provide only coy hints. "Don't eat one of these every day," the label warns, "because you'll soon get tired of them."

Huh? I could eat one of these every day for the rest of my life without getting tired of them.

What they should say is, "Hey, we know these things are so damn yummy, but if you overindulge, you will soon be unable to fit out of your front door. Cause each little pod of passiony goodness contains enough fat grams to choke a small pony."
Sure, these desserts are egg, yeast, GM and gluten free- but fat free they certainly ain't. A company really dedicated to healthy eating should seriously consider spelling this out.

Having said all this, I like eating at Pret a Manger, for reasons that are only partly to do with the food. I most often frequent the Glasgow Sauchiehall Street branch, as it is conveniently located close to both the bus station and my boyfriend's office. It's clean, and I can usually get a seat. I like the fact that my coffee comes with a little chocolate star outlined in the milk foam. The sandwiches are invariable fresh and delicious, and on the occasions when I do eat there I try to just forget about things like fat content.

And the staff are so nice. As it happens, Pret policy is that customer service is key. The company utilises techniques such as mystery shopper checks with accompanying bonuses to well performing staff as incentives. This made me a tiny bit cynical for awhile- thinking "you're only being nice to me because you have to"- until I realised that was a ridiculous perception. I would far rather be approached by somebody who smiles and bounces perkily over to the counter to serve me than a surly employee who will not even grunt hello.

In actual fact, I believe that at least some of the staff at the Glasgow branch are genuinely nice people. I was waiting by the door for my boyfriend (we often use Pret as a convenient rendezvous point when I come to Glasgow on the bus). It was a cold, rainy winter day. As I stood there shivering, the girl tidying up the tables saw me, went behind the counter and came back with a free muffin, asking if she could get me a hot drink as well. That was nice, a step beyond the usual "can't be bothered" attitude of many other places, and I appreciated it hugely.

Pret do give away uneaten food to charities at the end of the day. The cynical part of me also wonders if it's really part of a ploy to promote the company as an ethical, compassionate organisation. "Look at us, we give food away!" Has it occurred to them that people like myself on lower incomes could actually afford to eat there more often if the prices were reduced a bit? But once again I overlook such thoughts knowing that the motives don't matter so much- the result is people in need receive help, and that is important.

Ultimately, I think Pret a Manger has its heart in the right place, even if it is compromising on its founding principles to achieve its aim. However, it is disappointing to find out that behind the attractive image are some potentially unhealthy trade-offs- both ethically and financially as well in terms of product content/quality.

But hey, that's life, right? Pass the Passion Pot, fat grams be damned.

For more information see www.pret.com 

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