Prêt à manger means “ready to eat” in French, and Toronto is finally able to join the feast. Pret A Manger is a sandwich shop franchise from the UK with quite a reach. The organic coffee shop has 400 stores in the United Kingdom, three of which cater to their vegetarian customer base. Pret extends its reach outside of the UK to the US, Ireland, France, Hong Kong, amongst others, and most recently, Toronto, Canada.
For those who have tasted something from Pret and have been looking forward to being served again in one of their shops, then it’s time to get to Pret, Toronto.
Expanding into Canada
The process of moving into Canada was a gradual one for the franchise, as they had initially partnered with A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. in 2022. The partnership brought about the first set of pop-up shops in Canada, allowing A&W restaurants to sell Pret sandwiches and meals to customers. This helped nurture and establish a customer base in Canada before their launch.
According to Jorrie Bruffett, President Pret A Manger North America, plans to expand have been in the works for a while, and Canada is a brand new frontier.
The Grand Opening
Pret could not have picked a better location for their first shop in Toronto, at 90 Adelaide St. W. in the heart of Toronto’s Financial District. A prime location, the restaurant debuted on January 23rd, bringing its organic coffee and freshly prepared meals to Toronto for the first time. The grand opening followed on Monday, February 5, when all week long there were deals and promotions to mark the special occasion.
Exciting menu
Pret Toronto’s menu is heavily influenced by the items that are sold at the restaurant chain’s roster of 600 locations across the globe, but it also includes several dishes that are uniquely Canadian. Worldwide menu items that have become favorites for Pret Regulars include their Mediterranean Mezze Salad, Ham & Cheese Baguette, croissants, plus a choice of freshly baked goods. Their Canadian special includes the Montreal smoked meat sandwich, which comes garnished with pickles, crispy onions, carrots, arugula, and pickled cabbage. Well-trained baristas are also available to serve organic coffee to customers.
Pret A Manger and the Canadian restaurant scene
Pret A Manger opened their first shop in 1986 and has expanded into 600 locations across 16 international markets, with a workforce of some 9,900 team members. In addition to its own shop in Toronto, Pret items will remain available at some A&W outlets in Toronto and Vancouver.
Pret’s debut in Toronto is just one of the international food chains entering the Canadian quick-serve food business. U.S. burger restaurant Shake Shack and sandwich brands Jimmy John’s and Jersey Mike’s have all released plans to open up operations in Canada this year.
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