Pret a Manger’s gone through a lot of changes in recent years. After establishing itself as a lunchtime favourite for those sick of supermarket sandwiches, it then started to offer a legendarily good-value coffee subscription. That subscription still exists, albeit in a different form, but the café chain is now setting its sights on a different market: the drive-thru.
Drive-thru coffee isn’t a new concept – rival chains like Starbucks and Costa have been steadily increasing their number of drive-thrus since they launched in 2008 and 2011 respectively – but it is a fresh venture for Pret. Boss Pano Christou revealed in an interview with the Sunday Times that the company was ‘exploring’ the concept ‘because we think our offer [of fresh products] is so different to everyone else’.
No specific details have been given, but the Sunday Times reports that a ‘handful’ of different locations are planned. The first, Pret hopes, will open sometime in early 2026 near a motorway, and all of the drive-thrus in the works will be operated by a franchise partner.
This is part of Christou’s plan to expand from the current 500 stores to 1,500 across the country, with a focus on travel-based locations such as in airports and service stations. There are 60 roadside locations at present, with the company gearing up for 30 new openings, including some drive-thrus, in 2026. According to the Sunday Times, ‘Christou reckons there is potential to have 300 to 400 travel locations’.
Christou also announced that Pret will be gearing up to launch a meal-deal. Its premium sandwich range will be paired with any packet of crisps and a coffee for between £6-7. Meal deals have already been successful for the brand in France and Hong Kong. We went a bit more into detail about the Pret meal deals in a previous article, which you can read about here now.
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