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In addition to a limited menu, the outlets will sell a selection of essential items such as milk, butter and tea
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The move will allow Pret to donate food to charity partners during the crisis
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Pret has also reinstated a 50% discount for NHS workers until the end of April
Pret a Manger is reopening 10 of its London outlets located near hospitals following requests from NHS workers.
The shops in the capital will open their kitchens from tomorrow morning (Thursday 16 April) for takeaway and delivery only, with a team of staff members volunteering for duty.
Pret CEO Pano Christou said the move would also allow the chain to get its supply chain back up and running to donate food to homeless charities in need of meals during the coronavirus crisis, with 7,000 additional meals a week expected to reach charity partners, including The Felix Project as part of the Evening Standard’s appeal.
Shops will be open daily from 8am to 2pm, with delivery available through third-party partners.
The newly reopened shops will offer a limited menu of sandwiches, salads and baguettes, as well as hot and cold drinks, baked goods, fruit and snacks.
In addition, the outlets will sell a selection of essential items such as milk, butter and tea.
Pret, which closed all its sites when the UK went into lockdown, will also work with local hospitals to make catering bundles available for collection for NHS workers.
The chain also reinstated a 50% discount for NHS workers until the end of April.
“My priority is always to protect our teams and customers as best we can, which means we have put in place a number of new social distancing measures to align with the government’s guidance,” Christou said.
“A huge thank you to our teams who have volunteered to run these shops.”
The reopened shops will be staffed by 160 team members who have volunteered to be part of the initiative.
Safety and social distancing measures put in place include designated pick-up points for delivery drivers, restrictions on the number of staff allowed in certain areas of the kitchen at a time, enhanced cleaning processes, protective screens fitted at tills, contactless card payments only and limited customers allowed in store.
Christou added since stores were temporarily closed, 477,000 Pret items had been donated to 138 charity partners and 40 hospitals.
The addresses of the 10 stores and nearby hospitals are:
Eagle House, 161 City Rd - Moorfields Eye Hospital and Richard Desmond Children’s Centre
35-37 Kings Rd - Royal Brompton Hospital Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Unit 21 St Georges Wharf, Vauxhall - St Thomas’ Hospital
2-4 Circus Rd, St Johns Wood - St John & St Elizabeth Hospital and The Wellington Hospital
14 Warren St - University College Hospital
15 Brompton Rd, South Kensington - Royal Brompton Hospital Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Ground floor, Jenner Wing, St Georges University of London - St George’s Hospital
367B Fulham Rd, Fulham - Royal Brompton Hospital Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
3 Mitcham Rd, Tooting Broadway - St George’s Hospital
136 Great Portland St - University College Hospital and private practice.
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