Ready to Talk

Yesterday I wanted gazpacho for lunch, so I headed to Pret a Manger in hopes they'd have some. They did, and it was quite good -- not very spicy, but fresh and tangy with tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers. As I was people-watching, I noticed a woman with a reporter's notebook interviewing two diners. I always perk up a little when I see a reporter's notebook -- it's the Katharine Graham in me. When I finished eating, I approached her and asked who she was writing for. Turned out she was doing a story about the upcoming influx of Prets around the city for The New York Sun.

I sat down for a quick interview, and talked about how Pret lives up to its name (which means ready to eat) by being quick, efficient, consistent, and satisfying. Their sandwiches may be pre-made, but they are fresher than most chains, and they often use organics. During the 30 minutes that I was in the Broad St. store, I saw the sandwich shelves being refilled twice. As I've previously written here, their sandwiches make great airplane food -- wonder when they'll open a JFK kiosk.

There was a lot of buzz when Pret arrived here from London , but I remember that a few of the locations closed pretty quickly. A few years later, they've found their market and business is booming, according to the article, which quotes me!