The death of the office lunch? A cultural and corporate history of Pret a Manger

As the sandwich shop turns to supermarket ranges, coffee subscriptions and suburban branches to stay afloat, Harry Shukman asks: is this the end of the speedy weekday lunch?

The well-heeled shoppers of Earl’s Court would have been forgiven for doing a double-take when they stepped into their local Tesco superstore this May. After a year and a bit of working from home – and avoiding the daily self-flagellation of the modern office lunch – it would have been a confusing sight to see the installation of Pret a Manger right there in the supermarket, appearing suddenly and unexpectedly, much like the bloodthirsty stalker that hounds Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man.

Pret is trying to snag new business while their typical office-worker customers spend their weekdays at home. The opening of petrol station and supermarket locations – Earl’s Court being the first – and the launch of grocery ranges of granola and frozen croissants marks a new chapter in the fast food chain’s life. It is a long way off what Pret’s old buyers are familiar with.

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