Five things we learned about the way we eat now from Pret a Manger’s annual results
There's no better barometer of the nation's eating habits and hottest foodie trends than Pret a Manger's yearly results.
Last year, it was all about pulled pork and quinoa. This year, we're ditching the carbs and eating a hell of a lot of avocado…
1. Avocado king
We knew avocado was having its moment (thanks, largely, to Instagram), but now it's clear. We ate 5m last year, via Pret salads and sandwiches alone.
2. We're embracing meat-free
In a trend probably closely linked to the avocado obsession above, we're shunning meat for the vegetarian option, it turns out. So much so, in fact, that Pret plans on opening a dedicated veggie pop up and will encourage even non-veggies to go for a meat-free option.
3. Coffee addicts
We still remain addicted to coffee, and we buy an astonishing 1.5m cups every week from Pret – that's 78m a year, or 1.2 cups for every single person on the UK. One million cups a year are handed out entirely free as part of Pret's not-so-secret loyalty plan.
4. No carbs before Marbs
Pret may be best known for those deliciously soft sandwiches and crusty baguettes, but it seems we're happy to ditch the bread. Some 14 per cent of Pret's sales came from new items added to the menu in the last year, most of them non-bread.
5. Swipe and go
Contactless payments now account for more than half of all card transactions at Pret stores as we pay for lunch on the go. Always in a hurry.