Pret A Manger franchisee to develop 40 units in California

Dive Brief:

Pret A Manger has partnered with Dallas Holdings to build a network of restaurants across Southern California and a unit in the New York City neighborhood of Hudson Yards, the company announced Tuesday.
The agreement is for a minimum of 40 units over several years, a spokesperson told Restaurant Dive in an email.
Pret, which has about 550 shops across 11 countries, said last year that it would partner with more franchisees to accelerate growth and double its unit count within five years.

Dive Insight:

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pret had to permanently shutter 17 units across the U.S. after domestic sales fell 87%. The chain also closed 30 locations in the U.K. Sales have rebounded since then, allowing for the chain to move back towards growth.

“We’ve been seeing steady growth week over week as customers and businesses continue to return to the office,” Jorrie Bruffett, president of Pret A Manger North America, said in a statement. “This shift has aided in our recovery efforts and even our coffee orders have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. We believe this is the right time to identify new partners to help us enter new markets where we know there is a demand for Pret.”

Dallas, which operates eight Prets in the U.K., will focus on some initial locations in Los Angeles and Orange County, Shane Thakrar, president and CEO of Dallas Holdings, said in a press release. The franchisee’s first American Pret location is expected to open in Hudson Yards in early 2023, with California locations expected shortly after.

Pret has been expanding its digital channels over the last few years. In 2021, the company debuted its Pret Coffee subscription in the U.S., allowing customers to order coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more for $24.99 or $34.99 per month depending on the plan. Pret offers in-app, order ahead service via Pret Pick Up, as well as a loyalty program with its Pret Perks offering. The chain expects Dallas to adopt all of these initiatives at its new locations, according to the press release.

Pret’s North American franchising efforts were first initiated earlier this year with a pilot launch with A&W Canada, which is developing and operating pop-ups throughout Vancouver and Toronto.