London’s last two Veggie Prets – the vegan and vegetarian outpost of the high-street sarnie store – will be closing for good next week.
Veggie Pret launched as an offshoot of the Pret A Manger brand in 2016 and at its peak boasted ten branches, dealing only in posh cheddar and pickle baguettes, avocado wraps and falafel bowls. Most branches closed at the end of 2022, leaving only the sites at Broadwick Street in Soho and Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch.
But now Veggie Pret’s days are numbered, with Pret announcing that the two sites will shut down on February 19 and reopen as regular normal Prets. Pret has stated that the reason for the conversion is that bog-standard Prets now offer just as many vegan and vegetarian dishes as Veggie Pret ever did, rendering a Veggie Pret pretty pointless.
Katherine Bagshawe, UK food & coffee director at Pret A Manger, commented: ‘One in three of all our main meals sales are veggie or vegan-friendly. Food innovation at Veggie Pret has helped us develop a huge variety of unique and delicious options that everyone can enjoy, not just veggies, including our bestselling ‘VLT’ sandwich and fan favourite Very Berry Croissant.’
She added: ‘Today, every Pret shop is a Veggie Pret shop, with new vegetarian and vegan-friendly products coming onto our menu all the time.’
The last remaining Veggie Pret in Manchester will close on February 26, and reopen as a normie Pret.
Michelin Star Awards 2024: the full list of London restaurants that won (and lost) stars.
Plus: Pret A Manger is launching its first full kids’ menu.
Listen to Time Out’s brilliant podcast ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’: the newest episode with Noomi Rapace in Portobello is out now.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.