UK coffee shop chain, Pret A Manger, has announced that they will be opening a third ‘Veggie Pret’! The popular cafe took to Facebook this morning to tell customers that another store serving up only vegan and vegetarian options would be opening by the end of the year, however the location is currently unknown.
Pret have already had success with their two current Veggie Pret’s, the first of which was supposed to be a temporary pop-up but was made permanent due to it’s popularity. The pop-up was opened in Soho in 2016 and exceeded expectations. Despite staff believing Veggie Pret would fare worse than when the store had it’s usual offerings, sales increased by 70% during the pop-up period. The chain claim that their decision to include more meat-free options on their menu has been consumer lead.
‘Our vegetarian food needed to be better,’ says Pret. ‘Customers were demanding (and deserved) bigger, bolder, more exciting recipes…and more choice.’ The Facebook post also encouraged readers to ‘tell [Pret] what you think.’
Vegetarian and vegan options on the high street are being demanded more and more by consumers, as awareness around the effects of the animal agricultural industry permeates society. The UK in particular have seen a sudden shift towards accepting veganism in recent months, which vegan topics being discussed in major publications and the availability of vegan food increasing dramatically.
The success of the two current Veggie Pret’s in London suggest that the trend is set to continue. Vegan options are generally expected of all major UK chains now, including in supermarkets, even Pizza Hut are tentatively jumping on the vegan bandwagon.
If Pret can keep opening similar chains, perhaps they will be the first UK chain to refuse to serve meat products?
Image credit: Pret A Manger
