Pret A Manger Opens First Chicago Store

LONDON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh, natural sandwich and salad store Pret A Manger opens its first Midwestern storefront in downtown Chicago on September 24.  Quick and convenient for those on the go, Pret prepares delicious food from scratch throughout the day in each shop's kitchen with natural, preservative-free, fresh ingredients.

"We're very excited to become a part of the Chicago community," said Sebastian Wright, head of commercial operations at Pret A Manger.  "We are ready to serve Chicagoans the highest-quality sandwiches, salads, organic coffees and baked goods, made with natural ingredients because we know they taste better and are better for you."

Pret A Manger means "Ready To Eat" in French – all food is prepared in convenient "grab-and-go" containers using natural ingredients that are delivered fresh to every stores' kitchen every morning. While providing quick service, Pret's food is free from chemicals, additives and preservatives that are typically associated with "fast food."  Busy Chicagoans can get a wide variety of tasty lunch foods, including freshly made sandwiches and salads with Certified Humane® chicken that comes from family farms. For breakfast, fair trade, organic coffee is freshly roasted and flaky croissants, bagels and muffins are baked fresh throughout the day in the store.

Now in its first U.S. market outside of the East Coast, Pret A Manger stores source locally when possible. In Chicago, milk comes from the happy, healthy cows of Organic Valley's Midwest dairy farms and blueberries from Michigan's Northern Fruitlands. Pret is also partnering with The Greater Chicago Food Depository to donate all unsold food at the end of each day.

"We've had the pleasure of donating more than 1.7 million products to charities in the United Kingdom each year, and together with The Greater Chicago Food Depository, we're looking forward to giving back to those in need in Chicago," said Wright. "Pret is a sensible brand, and it just makes sense to give our unsold food away at the end of the day. We're proud to do it because we know it's the right thing to do."

With more than 240 locations across the U.K., Hong Kong, New York, Washington, D.C. and now Chicago, the company will continue to expand in Chicagoland in the next three years. Pret's passionate, hard-working employees are all hired locally in Chicago and trained at the New York and D.C. stores.

The new Chicago store is located in the Loop at 211 W Adams (Adams & Franklin), and will be open Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. For more information about Pret A Manger, visit www.pret.com.

About Pret A Manger

Pret A Manger is headquartered in London where they opened their first store in 1986.  Pret is a privately held company and now has over 240 store locations in the UK, Hong Kong, New York, Washington DC and Chicago.  With a kitchen in every store, Pret creates handmade, natural, preservative-free ingredients prepared fresh from scratch every day.  Pret A Manger means "Ready To Eat" in name and concept, it is fresh, convenient food – fast. More information: www.pret.com.

About The Greater Chicago Food Depository

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago's food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 678,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 66 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 135,000 meals every day. The Food Depository's programs and services for children, older adults and the unemployed and underemployed address the root causes of hunger. For more information, log onto www.chicagosfoodbank.org or call 773-247-FOOD.

SOURCE Pret A Manger