Pret to rollout delivery-only hot dinner menu across London

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Pret A Manger is to rollout its delivery-only ‘Dinners by Pret’ evening meal service to 30 sites around London, having previously trialled the offer across seven of its UK stores.

Set to launch on Thursday (19 November) and available via delivery services including JustEat, Deliveroo and UberEats, the hot dinner menu will feature a new range of Thai-style curries, focaccia pizzas and burritos, alongside more familiar options such as pastas and soups.

New dishes will include a lasagne macaroni and cheese; spicy chicken enchilada bake; and a vegan sticky aubergine hot rice bowl.

"We're thrilled to be able to offer more customers new (and freshly made) Pret dinners for their evening takeaways," says Briony Raven, UK food and coffee director at Pret.

"With many of us having tried to take up cooking in the last lockdown, we decided it's time to let our customers sit back and relax while Pret handles dinner – you've seen enough of your kitchen this year.

"We've worked hard to take some of the nations most beloved comfort foods and give them a Pret twist including our new focaccia pizzas.

"Not only have we created new items to add to our dinners menu range, but we have expanded the delivery services to be from 30 shops with our delivery partner.

"We have also made sure to include something for everyone including more vegan dishes than ever before."

Plans for the new hot dinner delivery service were mooted back in September when Pret chief executive Pano Christou set out plans to evolve the ailing sandwich chain into a 'multi-channel business'.

Pret has become somewhat symbolic of the financial pain suffered by high-street operators as a result of the Coronavirus crises. 

Last month it announced plans to close a further six sites and cut around 400 more jobs, having already shuttered 30 of its branches and made 2,800 staff redundant as part of a major restructuring of the business.

Other plans to develop the businesses include a shift into retail, with Pret recently launching a coffee range in Waitrose.

It has also launched what it claims is the UK’s first in-shop coffee subscription, YourPret Barista, which gives users up to five ‘barista-prepared’ drinks per day for a fixed monthly price of £20.