Lmst

Pret’s Pano Christou – “Rags to Riches” Story

UPDATE September 2023:

For more reviews of shop managers, OPs managers and HQ staff (and it’s not good!) on Pret’s leadership between 2020 – September 2023, please see Pano Christou’s Reputation post. And even those are just the tip of the iceberg.

2021 text from here on out.

Pano Christou has his own story in how he applied for a job at Pret 20 odd years ago and was rejected. Some time later he reapplied and was accepted. He climbed up the “ladder” and was the shadow of Clive Schlee for a few years. As Schlee’s time was coming to an end after two customers died and the new owners JAB took over, Pano as UK Managing Director briefly stepped into a new role of COO that was created as a stepping stone to become the new CEO. The role of COO didn’t exist before that and doesn’t currently exist in Pret.

What Pano Christou is not telling people immediately is that he started in Pret as an Assistant Manager, having come from McDonald’s as a Manager. Managers from other companies always start as Assistant Managers in Pret. Never as a Team Member from the bottom and not as a shop Manager.

What people who have never worked at Pret don’t understand is that the structure in Pret is extremely complex and micromanaging. Pret advertises that 95% of Pret Managers have started at the bottom in Pret. Funny, because a few years ago the numbers were 80-something %. And yet, it should be normal that most, if not all Managers grow from within the company.

Pret’s career path is super complex.

If you REALLY start at the bottom on the shop floor or kitchen, you start at a little over minimum wage, but have to work for it 3 times over and have to wait YEARS to get a pay-rise.

It takes THREE position to even reach the Assistant Manager role that Pano Christou started with.

Team Member (and after 10-ish days Team Member Star – ignore that one, it’s just psychology!)

NEXT Level:

Barista or Hot Chef or Kitchen Team Member Trainer (in my time Pret had the role of Shift Runner between 2008-ish and 2015)

NEXT Level:

Team Leader (either Kitchen Leader or Floor Leader)

NEXT Level:

And THEEENN when you went through those “hurdles” you might have had a chance to become an Assistant Manager (mostly of the Kitchen, sometimes of the Floor).

Mind you, these positions, especially from Assistant Manager (AM) onward are very coveted of course! Staff get their elbows out and screw each other over for this position like in every job. Some even rise up the ranks via the bedroom. This you’ll expect in a law firm, and certainly politics and Hollywood, but a sandwich chain? Really? Alright!

What makes the AM position so attractive is that they delegate to the Team Leaders, who really do the hard work and run the shops, bossing the Team Leaders around and blaming them for everything. The AM is the filling of the sandwich between General Manager (GM) and Team Leader (TL) bossing Team Members around and yet not being responsible. The AM isn’t as responsible as the General Manager (GM) is. Perfect spot to be in. Bossing people around, yet not being responsible. Pret within the company is known for having too many “leaders” who struggle for the top position while Pret top leadership enjoy throwing crumbs to them to fight over.

To better see the text in the below screenshots, please click “ctrl and +” (ctrl and plus) and to decrease again “ctrl and -” (ctrl and minus) or click on the links underneath the screenshots.

Link

After Assistant Manager comes the General Manager (GM), then Group Manager responsible for about 4 – 5 shops in an area, then Operations (Area) Manager (or OPs) of about 10 -14 shops in an area, and then you just fly so high you forget where you came from! And here’s where it’s ALL about the money.

What is so attractive to the AM role is that this is where the money starts to flow and where people will have to “prove” if they belong to the ELITE of the top Management who reap all the harvest that the “slaves” below them labour for. And yet again, even the AM and GM still have to prove if they belong to the ELITE of the top leadership of Pret. And yet, GMs and AMs increasingly complain on Glassdoor and Indeed that their contracted hours (used to be 42.5 per week) now 35 hours p/w on the payroll, but they work at least 60 hours as unpaid overtime. GMs and AMs are as exploited as TMs are.

Link

When a staff becomes an AM, at least in my time and Pano Christou’s time, they got £500 from Pret to go shopping for business attire. Then they got £50 a month for the dry cleaning bill of their business attire, insurance, extra holidays, more quarterly bonus, SICK PAY (that’s a big one!), executive parties, a loan from Pret for annual travel which costs 10 months for a 12 month annual ticket … and a host of other benefits. This is pre-Covid of course. But I’m painting a picture of Pano Christou’s “rags to riches” (shop floor) beginnings in Pret.

Pano did not start on minimum wage plus a few pennies and working triple for it with a Team Leader or AM down his neck. He surely wore a Pret uniform for a month plus / minus to “experience” how it is to REALLY start at the bottom.

A £500 wardrobe and £50 a month to dry clean it, sick pay … and all the stuff they showered on you until you realized, you’d better get higher because the shop floor sucks!

In a nutshell, Pano Christou started at position number 4 on the shop floor, NOT at the bottom!

#1 Team Member

#2 Barista or Hot Chef or Trainer (or in my time until 2015 Shift Runner)

#3 Team Leader

#4 Assistant Manager (the real benefits and money start here 🏆🏆🏆 )

A GM review, quote:

»Amazing in the beginning – showered with benefits and entitlements and opportunities to advance. Terrible once you see how horribly mismanaged and micromanaged the company is. Zero care for human beings and nothing but boosting sales and company growth.«

Link

And here again, yes Pret pays a little more than the competition, also because Pret has the kitchen production that are mini sandwich factories, and staff have to slave double and triple for it and don’t get a pay-rise in years! Pret has no choice to pay a little more because if they would pay McDonald’s wages NO-ONE would work at Pret as it is too micro managing, back breaking work, a bullying environment and very complex!

And it’s a dead give-away that it took Pano 23 years to reach CEO level! I pressured former CEO and Pano’s mentor Clive Schlee on Twitter to step down after he and Pano (when UK Managing Director) ignored two customer deaths and 20+ injuries before it got public. Reluctantly Schlee “retired” to spare him the embarrassment of a resignation. He is on the board and own half of itsu with his body Pret RE-founder Julian Metcalfe.I wrote a small exposé on Metcalfe, his connection to the Royal Family and how I chased him off Twitter.

If the mounting pressure to step down would not have happened from several on social media, Schlee would still be CEO. And Pano now is stuck in the old Pret-way and is not at all inventive, but bows to the pressure to expand fast to the ongoing detriment of quality and safety.

Link

Pret is very good in making simple things very complicated! So, the little higher wage is the carrot on the stick. It’s a trap to lure people into working at Pret and then they get stuck believing and hoping that “one day” it may get better … And when the carrot has shriveled up, staff are too exhausted to recognize the bullsh!t for what it is.

Link

etc. etc. etc. etc. ………

Pano’s “popularity” on review sites and the legacy Clive Schlee leaves behind:

UPDATE 2026 (5 years later!):
Scores for Pano Christou and Pret, more than double the amount of reviews, but not much improvement:

From Rags to Riches, the Pret A Manger “Love Treatment”

“Lovingly” handmade … (… and brainwashed)

Bonus: Pano Christou putting his Emotional Labour into effect to spill some numbers after the first lock-down in a leaked video I received from a Pret staff and have passed on to the BBC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaC_ZGktlpE&list=PLAlnT8XcpopZh1CDoZPM3h3-l_9v9unFS&index=26

I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review, and was mentioned by the BBC.

.
Thank you for reading/listening.

Interview:

https://expretdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/workplace-bullying-an-intervie-683101e6895da.m4a

Unless otherwise stated or linked to, this website and all writings within this site are the property of expret.org, LateNightGirl.org and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Reproduction and distribution of my writings without written permission is prohibited.
©2017 – Present: expret.org, LateNightGirl.org unless otherwise stated. All Rights reserved. Disclaimer.

#1 #2 #3 #4 #cliveSchlee #panoChristou #pretAManger

Pret A Manger 2025 Year in Review

https://fair.tube/w/rRP2busVjWeCacFLjrYg4y

Roberto Rodriguez – Pret A Manger Allergen Trial

As Pret got off the hook yet again in the recent allergen trial in Bristol I want to highlight something important regarding training in Pret. I can only urge journalists again to go undercover for a longer time than a week to see for themselves how the training in Pret is really done! This has been my biggest frustration in Pret! I always trained especially new Team Members and was called away from training to go to the till and serve customers!

Shops train staff on their breaks and expect them to read training material in their free time at home or on their much needed breaks! During the shifts, they were expected to only work and serve customers.

I mention this because of what was heard at Bristol Crown Court, quote from the Sky News article:

»The employee – Roberto Rodriguez – failed to check the store’s allergen guide, which would have confirmed the sandwich did contain sesame, Bristol Crown Court heard. Instead, Mr Rodriguez allegedly checked a label on the fridge and told Ms Colnaghi – incorrectly – that sesame was absent.«

And, quote: »Mr Rodriguez looking at the shelf rather than the allergen guide “amounted to an error by the server”, he added.«

Prosecution, quote: »Ms Brunner told jurors that in an account he gave to the company, Mr Rodriguez appeared to believe he was following the company’s procedures during the incident.«

»But food safety expert Dr Belinda Stuart-Moonlight told jurors Mr Rodriguez was fully trained and had acted outside of Pret A Manger’s allergen procedures.«

Also, quote: »The court heard Mr Rodriguez no longer worked for Pret A Manger, had left the UK, and solicitors had been unable to contact him since 2019.«

“Fully” trained?

Yes, it’s totally understandable that Roberto dived under and cannot be reached! I would have done the same because Pret made him responsible! But here’s the twist, in below interview (player at the very bottom of this page) at 1:13:22 I explain about the lack of training in Pret and that staff have to sign training records every 6 months without being properly trained. It’s a long interview I’ve had in March 2019, but skipping to 1:13:22 I highlight the lack of training and pressure to sign training records.

Staff are pressured to sign even when they’re not trained. Management of course will never openly encourage or admit this pressure, but the Team Member Trainer (TMT) with the blue belt & badge is supposed to train staff and AFTER the training the staff sign the records. But the TMT is also extremely swamped with work and is not given time to PROPERLY train staff. I have worked with many TMTs who had huge benches to do as the Manager cut hours so management and upper management get more bonus every quarter.

The TMT hardly ever was able to fulfill their job description of truly training people except how to quickly make sandwiches in the kitchen. Hence, the TMT feels the pressure to get back into the kitchen, to do their bench as kitchen staff are pressured and penalized when they don’t finish their benches at the strict time that is given. In turn the TMT pressures the staff to sign the training record of over a dozen items every 6 months without them being trained. Pret will never admit to this of course, but this is also systemic in Pret and I will try and find most of the Glassdoor and Indeed reviews on the complaint of lack of training, apart from my own experience throughout ALL of my time in Pret.

On reddit a former Pret staff told me that they signed the training record with the “C” word and that was that! No-one checked, as long as people signed, they could even sign “Mickey Mouse”, no-one cares to check, let alone train staff.

Link to reddit post, that whole thread is worth a read.

One poignant staff review is from a Manager from Edingburgh, but I can absolutely confirm that this happens in London and other locations, I speak from 10 years in Pret! This GM mentions that they are forced to cheat to bring results to the OPs who sits at home and pressures staff. HOW CAN staff be “fully” trained when shops are systematically under-staffed?!

And as I share my own experience of 10 years in Pret, for example on Linkedin, Sterling Crew, Chair of The Food Authenticity Network Advisory Board who writes favourably about Pret, has blocked me and threatened me. And even other critical voices he just disses and responds that there is the “court of public opinion”. He isn’t willing to 1. democratically discuss issues with people who have different opinions; 2. he silences free speech and 3. he completely ignores my experience on the shop floor in Pret and ALL the evidence I bring. Current and former Pret staff who KNOW Pret are disregarded and looked down upon!

Here’s only one of many reviews that the public ignores:

Link

I only signed items I was trained in and refused to sign the things involving health & safety when I wasn’t trained. I also encouraged my colleagues to NOT sign anything they’re not comfortable with because if they sign while not trained, and something happens, it’s on their heads! So, it’s understandable that Roberto Rodriguez has dived under!

I had an Assistant Manager then “train” me with a horrible, angry attitude because I basically “forced” them to train me as I wouldn’t sign. And needless to say, I was never promoted. When I started at Pret, especially in my early months, I read on everything I could find regarding rules, rights, training material because Pret is VERY complex! Pret has an intranet system they call “Planet Pret”. When I read my employee manual many times I’ve read “… for more information please go to Planet Pret”. So, I did.

As I was very fast in my work and in our teams we worked effortlessly, often finishing the evening shifts at least 15 – 20 minutes before the end of our shift. I took the time to read on things on Planet Pret because I was not explained or trained. So, I trained myself and passed every knowledge on to my colleagues.

I came across a lot of information which was important to me at the time or stumbled on other issues that were just interesting, and some things that helped me years later. One such issue was when I’ve read that only the General Manager (GM) and of course the Maintenance Team were allowed to go on a high ladder to change a light bulb or something like that. Team Members, including Team Leaders were NOT allowed to get up on a high ladder for insurance reasons. We were of course allowed to use small step ladders with no more than 3 or 4 steps to stock up the highest fridge shelf etc. But not high ladders.

One day at 11am when shops are quiet after the coffee rush and before the lunch rush, I came to my shop to start my late shift. I saw a Team Member high on the high ladder fiddling something on the air conditioning on the ceiling. No-one stood by the ladder to hold it! I calmly went to him and asked him if could please come down the ladder. When he was down, I explained to him that he isn’t allowed to be on there that high as he isn’t covered under the insurance, should he fall off and injure himself and at worse become incapable to work. He’d be f****d! He was shocked to hear that and said that the GM asked him to take the air con screen off so he could clean it in the kitchen.

Needless to say, I was never the favourite of that GM. Maybe the GM didn’t know himself, as even GMs are not properly trained! But I also know that GMs at times ask TMs to do dodgy things, so when they get caught, it was the TMs fault! And the TM can never prove that the GM told him to do this or that. But because I had this piece of information I stumbled upon on Planet Pret a while before, I couldn’t just pass by and let the TM be on the ladder! And the Team Members whom I trained regarding the allergen guide behind the counter ALWAYS checked the allergen guide, or often they just passed it on to me. But they knew where to check because I TRAINED them! I am sure that if Roberto Rodriguez was trained in the allergen guide, he would have gotten the file and looked for sesame. Of course I can’t prove that, but from my 10 years in Pret, I can absolutely say that the training is appalling and I myself was often called away from training a colleague so we serve customers while the Manager and Assistant Manager sat in the office.

This is not here and there, this has been for my WHOLE 10 years in shop after shop after shop!

So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Roberto Rodriguez was NOT trained properly but made the mistake to bow to pressure and sign training records. Thus, he’s stuck, he can’t honestly say that he was NOT trained because Pret holds up Roberto’s training records which he signed! And he’s also is stuck because he feels ashamed that he signed the training records without being trained. It’s a lose-lose situation for Roberto and a win-win for Pret!

I was strong enough to withstand the bullying and pressure to sign training records without being trained. And I was known for taking health and safety extremely serious, like ALWAYS having fire exits clear and fire extinguisher free of chairs blocking it etc. But most Pret staff are young foreigners, very easily fear managed and they have no idea of the potential consequences.

To Roberto Rodriguez,

should you ever read this, if you have not been trained it was NOT your fault that you didn’t know where to check for the allergen! If you have NOT been trained, the mistake you’ve made was to SIGN that you have been trained!

To all current Pret staff and staff everywhere, do NOT sign training records unless you have been FULLY trained. Full stop! You will get in trouble in subtle ways, you won’t be your Manager’s or Leader’s favourite, but in the long run you are better off! The consequences of signing something that you can not vouch for, can be horrific. You will NEVER be able to prove that you were not trained and that you bowed to pressure to sign. It will be YOUR fault!

To all allergy sufferers and their loved ones, I cannot even begin to imagine the fear and stress you go through every single day when going grocery shopping or treat yourself to a restaurant meal! Food is necessary, it’s not a luxury that you can skip. I am still extremely devastated that two customers have died, several injured and warnings ignored. I am offended that Pret didn’t even inform us. It is a great offense to me personally as a former Team Leader whose job description included health and safety that Pret did not even inform us. There wasn’t even as much as a HINT to be more diligent with labelling or allergen. Absolutely nothing! This offends me, because I could have potentially been part also in endangering customers even while I took health and safety very, very seriously!

I write about the labelling mess that truly was all over the place as Ms Brunner told the jury. Please visit: Pret’s Labelling Commitment?

And I also write extensively about the week or two week seminar Pret did in the prestigious Barbican Center the year AFTER Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died, BUT this seminar was NOT about labelling or allergen!
Please visit: Pret A Manger – Kind? Honest? Generous?

And a collection of customer complaints on social media regarding mislabelling that still goes on in 2021:
Vegans and Vegetarians Eat Meat at Pret

UPDATE 2025 – Ongoing reports on general food poisoning in Pret in various countries:

https://vimeo.com/1046868588

I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. Schlee has been appointed CEO of itsu in 2024 by Julian Metcalfe who gave him the CEO spot at Pret many years ago.
I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.

Please also see the MEDIA page for more on my work with the press.

NEW LinkTree.

Thank you for reading/listening.

Interview:

(Please be aware that the player shows 0:00 but just press play)

https://expretdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/workplace-bullying-an-intervie-683101e6895da.m4a

Unless otherwise stated or linked to, this website and all writings within this site are the property of expret.org and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Reproduction and distribution of my writings without written permission is prohibited.
©2017 – Present: expret.org unless otherwise stated. All Rights reserved. Disclaimer.

#Allergen #IsobelColnaghi #PretAManger #RobertoRodriguez #RobertoRodriguezPretAManger #trial

Pret A Manger Shops Closed … I Smell a Rat!

I wrote a post with 3 possibilities why several Pret shops are closed throughout the UK: “Short Term Staffing Issues“.

But I want to do an extra post adding a 4th reason. My alarm bells go off when Pret seemingly speak the truth. It is true that Pret has staff shortages, like all in the hospitality industry.

But some shops have a note on the door saying they are closed due to refurbishments. The memo didn’t get around to settle on which lie to tell I guess. So, there are always conflicting messages even within ONE shop.

Link

There are daily complaints on all social media platforms to Pret that customers cannot use their subscription as their local shop is closed. Thus they keep paying the monthly £20 without being able to get any drink. This looks typical like Pret to me ripping customers off and not giving a refund. This to me is unethical, because if Pret would care about their customers, instead of quick money coming in, they would make a list on their website with WHICH shops are currently closed and email all subscribers informing them of those shop closures.

If Pret cared, they would also put information on Pret’s subscription sign-up page, to inform any customer who is about to sign up to check THEIR area for open/closed shops BEFORE they sign up. But what am I talking??! Since when would Pret care for customers and for ethics instead of just for money.

My theory is that Pret does a clever economical thing, they take all the staff from shops that don’t bring much profit, close those shops and place the staff in the shops that do make profit.

Then Pret negotiates with landlords to get a cheaper deal or refuse to pay rent altogether, like Pret does in the USA and has at least six lawsuits on their necks for unpaid rents.

Link to June 2021 article

Link to FT article

Link to BBC article

So, saving money in rents, maybe either negotiating with landlords or refusing to pay altogether in the hopes they get away with it, as the UK is more forgiving then the USA. Pret has also received a £185 million cash injection from their in tax-haven Luxembourg based owners JAB Holding, yet do a lot of questionable money saving stunts. I list some here: Pret will INDEED try anything to survive.

Saving on overhead costs on closed shops, deliver service costs for the daily products delivered to shops from the depot, saving on shop management payroll as less Managers are needed, and then continuing to sell the coffee subscription to customers who can’t use it!

Clever deal, Pret. But in my eye highly unethical.

Also, some shop staff put the lie on the front door of a closed shop that they are closed due to refurbishment, or like the above Tweet says “nip and tuck makeover”. Well, if you’d worked at Pret like I did for 10 years (yeah, don’t ask me, it’s my biggest regret!) you would know that refurbishments in Pret take no more than 2 days, 4 days max AND that refurbishments are ALWAYS done at night, OUTSIDE of business hours so as not to disrupt the trade!

I have worked in several shops over the years where Pret did the huge refurbishments back in the early 2010s when they changed from the cold, silver, metal look to the warm wood ambience! The shops where I worked at did the refurbishment mainly during the weekends at night, but also during the week at nights. Many times when I opened the shop on Monday morning 6am, neighbours were already waiting outside fuming and then coming in to complain that builders were making unbelievable noise during the night. Builders were hammering, using the electric saw OUTSIDE to avoid too much saw dust inside for staff to have to clean … Everything was done during the night to avoid interruption to the business!

I had to personally apologize several times to rightfully angry neighbours and get them the number or email for head office. I always offered a free coffee on top of it, but some were so angry, they didn’t even want a freebie! And when Pret opens a new shop, builders in different shifts work 24/7 to get the shop opened as soon as possible. The worst that was always shocking to me was when neighbours told us of the sawing machines OUTSIDE where builders were sawing during the night! No regard whatsoever of the residential neihbourhood.

Only one of several complaints on Twitter.

Link

So, let’s see how many more lies Pret come up with and what confusing messages staff put on shop doors.

No sir, it’s not due to refurb!

Link

A FULL refurbishment doesn’t take 4 days! Even when they work only the night, it may take 4 days, but during the day the shop is open! And especially a “nip and tuck” which indicates a small refurb, doesn’t even take more than 2 nights!

Link

Pret itself give the “short term staffing disruption” on several occasions while some shops didn’t get the memo on which lie to post on the door.

I can only say to customers who have the subscription while their local Pret shop is closed, to demand a full refund for the period when the shops where closed (while having the subscription).

But Pret won’t do that, because they are not challenged by consumer rights groups or in court. In the USA there would be a class action suit in no time. But in the UK people keep giving Pret the benefit of the doubt, no matter how many customers die, how many staff speak out about exploitation and the bullying environment in Pret etc. etc.

For more on how Pret is ripping customers AND staff off: HERE again.

The rip-off also happens in the USA where customers pay for their drinks while having the subscription (pass), or the usual “no iced drinks”, no expensive plant-based milks, customers can’t cancel the subscription, and IF they manage to cancel, Pret continues to withdraw money yada yada yada …

Link

Customers are continuously charged AFTER they successfully cancelled the subscription. Via Vimeo:

https://vimeo.com/945320347

Hardly any shop serves the expensive frappes and smoothies on subscription. This goes back since the subscription started last year which can be seen in below YouTube slide on the dates of the Tweets towards the end.

And IF people are lucky to get an iced drink (often the cheaper iced Latte or Americano, Pret managed to get 14oz cheaper paper cups from the suppliers, while claiming since MONTHS to have “supplier issues” on the more expensive 16oz plastic cups.

My question to a current Pret Barista on the cup issue, but the Barista isn’t sure why Pret changes the cups. What this Barista means by “which is bigger” is that the 14oz paper cup is bigger than the usual 12oz hot coffee paper cup, but it’s smaller to the 16oz plastic iced drink cup.

Link

Pret should actually adopt a similar slogan to what Tesco uses: “Every little helps” (for Pret that is)!

Pret in the UK did only 2 cup sizes (apart from the small espresso cup), the 12oz usual coffee paper cup and the 8oz flat white and strong espresso cup. Mind you a “strong” espresso is NOT a double shot, it’s 1.5 shots, thats why Pret NEVER advertises it as “double espresso” but “strong espresso” to not get n trouble, while paying with people’s perception of “assuming” it’s 2 shots. But Pret charges the 1.5 strong coffee shot as if it was a 2 shot coffee, just like normal cafes like Caffè Nero does. Caffè Nero does actual TWO shots as a double shot and charges the same for an extra shot like Pret does.

When a Pret customer asks for a double shot latte, the Barista presses the “strong” espresso button, which is 1.5 shots NOT 2 shots. Even when a customer asks for a latte with an extra shot, the Barista presses the strong button. ONLY when a customer asks for a latte with TWO separate shots but demands to pay for the advertised “strong latte”, the Barista reluctantly does it as an exception if the customer persists. But most customers don’t know about the 1.5 shots as they assume it’s a double shot.

Please scroll up and down in the following Twitter feed where a former Pret Barista confirms this.

Pret just uses psychology to fool people into thinking they get a double shot. Every little helps! 😉

And now Pret has added a 14oz paper cup for the iced drinks. Excuse me, how can Pret have NO “supplier issues” on the 14oz paper cups, but since MONTHS on the 16oz plastic cups?

Every little helps!

Pret confirming to a customer that their iced plastic cup is 16oz:

Link

Getting cheated out of 2oz doesn’t sound much, but it adds up. Every little helps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McHZh_Ck-ro&list=PLih_h41VOCKaMa2UMz3eNE2_M7j5SAZZa&index=22

Anyone who has the subscription while local shops are closed should get a full refund.

UPDATE 16.08.2021

It seems that Pret also closed shops in city centers to open new ones outside cities. Oh and the irony of creating 2000 new jobs! Minimum-wage jobs and facing strike action!

Link

Please also see the MEDIA page for more.

Thank you for reading/listening.

Interview:

https://expretdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/workplace-bullying-an-intervie-683101e6895da.m4a

#closedShopsAtPret #pretAManger #pretAMangerClosed #pretAMangerReviews

Why Pret A Manger is Actually Dying – by Crisis Report UK

Pret’s bogus slogan, “Doing the right thing naturally it’s what makes Pret, Pret” now removed after customer deaths became public. I always complained about this slogan with Pret.

And the audacity “Doing the right thing” (It’s what makes Pret, Pret) The self-indulgence and delusion of Pret knows no bounds!

HR aka “people team” slogan removed now. Bullying staff, targetting bereaved employees seems to be Pret’s definition of “doing the right thing naturally”. After Pret were banned in 2018 from advertising their food too be natural and the customer deaths becoming public, they were forced to scrap this bullsh!t slogan. The louder a big company shouts about rubbish like this, the closer you need to look, just scratch the surface and their facade starts cracking fast.

I came across a YouTube video of someone who calls out large corporations. I remember texting with someone on social media a few months ago, which might have been this person and have to find the screenshot.

I put the video here and underneath my additions as podcast episode on some corrections and further info, confirming what this channel says. I’m grateful they mentioned my blog and read a lot of the issues I present regarding Pret.

UPDATE: 05.11.2025

The YouTube person changed the title from “Don’t Eat at Pret A Manger Until You Watch This” to “Why Pret A Manger is Actually Dying” which is much better, less click-baity, more meaning for solid reporting.

I understand his AI generated voice might come across too dramatic for some, but I can absolutely back this up and love the wording he uses. Video underneath screenshots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFsCmlavsw0

Podcast version of his full audio with my addition and minor corrections. I wish this channel knew about the £800,000 Pret were fined in 2023 bu Westminster Council after a staff survied an over 2.5 hour ordeal in a walk-in freezer. It would have further shown how Pret don’t care about safety, including staff safety. The channel knows now.

Link

Plus the “P.S.” I mentioned if I’d remember something else. I added a bit about Sarah Fergusan, Jeffrey Epstein, Julian Metcalfe, the Endnan-Laperouse family etc.

Links of what I mention in above audio:

The Private Equity Trap Pret A Manger Jumped Into –
3rd Value Loss and £500+ million in Debt:

Exposé on net-worth £215 million itsu founder & Pret A Manger RE-founder Julian Metcalfe, his love for zero hour contracts & robots, connection to the Royal family, a questionable connection, what staff say about him, how suddenly all the negative reviews about him on Glassdoor disappeared after i sent it to him, why some Asian people don’t like him & how I chased him off Twitter/X:

Recruiting for Personality rather than Skill can be Fatal

Clive Schlee’s £1000 announcement in the night he learnt about my blog.

£10 million is like £10.

And for my annual end of year “Pret A Manger Year in Review” I did 2025 mid December. Until something crazy happens in the last 2 weeks of December 2025, I just put this up now. There is much more, but I wanted to keep it at under 15 minutes. Apologies for the stretched videos, I don’t yet know how to fix it. This is just more for reference and a fun way to call Pret out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijza0kHGoDg&list=PLih_h41VOCKaMa2UMz3eNE2_M7j5SAZZa&index=12

I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. Schlee has been appointed CEO of itsu in 2024 by Julian Metcalfe who gave him the CEO spot at Pret many years ago.
I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.

Please also see the MEDIA page for more on my work with the press.

NEW LinkTree

PayPal.Me

Thank you for reading/listening.

Interview:

(Please be aware that the player shows 0:00 but just press play)

https://expretdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/workplace-bullying-an-intervie-683101e6895da.m4a

#books #crisisReportUk #Expret #expretdotorg #Life #MentalHealth #podcasts #Pret #PretAManger #pretAMangerZombies #pretZombies #Writing

The Private Equity Trap Pret A Manger Jumped into #PretAManger

I wrote a few posts about Pret's debt (£700 million and heard that owners JAB Holdings injected £200+ million) as well as Pret having written off a third of their value. In my simple language, and forgive me for such comparison, but I call Private Equity firms "pimps". They buy companies, suck the life-blood out of them, make huge returns and then sell the company to a new Private Equity pimp to squeeze…

http://expret.org/2025/09/22/private-equity-trap-pret-a-manger/

The Private Equity Trap Pret A Manger Jumped into #PretAManger

http://expret.org/2025/09/22/private-equity-trap-pret-a-manger/

Food Inflation Pushes Britons to Rethink Spending on Quick Meals

As food inflation continues to rise in the UK, Britons are increasingly questioning how much they're willing to spend on everyday food items, with popular takeaway options like Greggs sausage rolls and Pret a Manger meal deals becoming focal points for debate. A Greggs sausage roll, which cost only ... [More info]

The ARROGANCE of Pret A Manger & itsu Executives #PretAManger

From left to right: Sinclair Beecham, Pano Christou, Julian Metcalfe, Clive Schlee. Sinclair Beecham: Pret A Manger RE-co-founder and now back in Pret helping Pret's mess with debt, customer dissatisfaction etc. Pano Christou: Current CEO of Pret. Julian Metcalfe: Pret RE-co-founder and founder of itsu. Clive Schlee: Former CEO of Pret, now CEO of itsu. Jeffrey Hyman, original founder of Pret A Manger that…

http://expret.org/2025/09/17/pret-a-manger-and-itsu-arrogance/

The ARROGANCE of Pret A Manger & itsu Executives #PretAManger

http://expret.org/2025/09/17/pret-a-manger-and-itsu-arrogance/

Pret A Manger reports £553m charge due to UK tax hikes and global uncertainty

Pret A Manger, the UK-based sandwich and coffee chain, has booked a £553 million goodwill impairment charge, citing higher costs due to UK tax increases and a more uncertain global economic environment. Despite a 10% increase in global sales, which reached £1.2 billion, the company reported an opera... [More info]

@nrturner

Pret A Manger remain unsafe despite 2 customer deaths & 20+ injuries (that we know of). EVEN IF u never had an issue, always check ur food. Customers ate half a sandwich before they realized it's mouldy.
1. customers post pictures of mouldy food from Pret:
https://expret.org/2022/07/14/pret-not-freshly-made ←

#pretamanger

Pret A Manger Ube Iced Drinks (Early Review - new version)

https://fair.tube/videos/watch/0e97f279-ada3-4340-9959-59f2f7ed40f9

The Lies Problem with Pret — #PretAManger

City A.M. Article (or rather advertising for Pret) on why Pret raise prices AGAIN! "Pret A Manger: Why prices rises are ‘inevitable’ after surviving ‘near-death crisis’ by Jon Robinson." (... prises rises) ... If you find mistakes on my blog, I am NOT a professional journalist and am NOT paid for my work. 😉 (I do have a PayPal donation button at the bottom).

http://expret.org/2025/05/19/the-lies-problem-with-pret/

The Lies Problem with Pret — #PretAManger

http://expret.org/2025/05/19/the-lies-problem-with-pret/

Pret A Manger's Strict Mystery Shopper Scheme (Part 3)

https://fair.tube/videos/watch/5671733a-fe69-408e-819d-55953fa6bfbb

Who owns UK Coffee Shops ???

Feeling like you might wanna buy British???

Here's a quick skim of the internet to find out where our money goes ...

Starbucks - you guessed it. A publicly listed USA company.

Costa Coffee - a wholly owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola, which is a company from the USA, in case you were wondering.

Caffe Nero - private UK company with the main shareholders being UK and Luxembourg intermediary companies.

Pret a Manger - owned by JAB, a German company.

Blank Street - a private company from the USA.

Greggs - is a publicly listed UK company based in Newcastle.

Of course, supporting your local independent coffee shop is probably the way to go.

#boycottusa #broligarchy #coffeebreak #independentshops #costacoffee #starbucks #caffenerouk #greggs #blankstreetcoffee #pretamanger

Hands holding coffee cups from Costa, Pret and Greggs.

‘We introduced avocado to the high street!’ How Pret conquered London – and began eyeing the rest of the world https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/03/we-introduced-avocado-to-the-high-street-how-pret-conquered-london-and-began-eyeing-the-rest-of-the-world #Lifeandstyle #PretaManger #Business #London #Food

Links to #PretAManger issues incl. ongoing mislabelling, mouldy food, customer deaths & injuries, lawsuits, systemic workplace bullying, £800,000 fine after staff in freezer, wage theft, hiked prices for lower quality, bad press, £700 million debt, board room shake-up etc. etc.
https://linktr.ee/expret.org <-

In #PretAManger, food poisoning reports have increased, in different countries as well, despite customer deaths and injuries. Just the tip of the iceberg and from 1 site only:
https://vimeo.com/1046868588 ←

#pretAManger

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