Pret A Manger launches Tip-Top Hot Pots with vegan choices

Pret A Manger is introducing Tip-Top Hot Pots to the menu for the first time, providing customers with a separate ‘topper’ so that fresh, delicate flavours can be stirred into a big, bold hot pot at the very last minute.

The new vegan Cauli & Sweet Potato Dhal Tip-Top Hot Pot will launch alongside a new vegan Apple & Almond Butter Snack Bowl and a limited- edition vegan Falafel, Avo & Chipotle Flat Bread.

Customers have been asking for more vegan options, and Pret chefs have been experimenting with plant-based ingredients and flavours to meet the challenge. The new dishes will sit alongside existing vegan favourites in regular Pret shops, such as Coconut Porridge, Butternut Squash Dhansak, Kale, Lentil & Roasted Spices Soup, Tomato Soup, bestseller Sweet Potato Falafel & Smashed Beets, Chia Pots and Dairy Free Chocolatey Coconut Bite to name just a few.

In 2015, Pret’s CEO Clive Schlee had noticed sales of Pret’s vegetarian products growing; the Beets, Squash & Feta superbowl was outselling chicken and salmon versions. He asked customers for their feedback on what they wanted to see next from the company – almost 10,000 people voted and Pret opened a veggie pop-up in Soho the following June.

The pop- up was initially designed as a space to trial new vegetarian and vegan recipes for a month, but it became so popular that Pret decided to keep it open for the summer, before making it a permanent shop in September 2016.

A second Veggie Pret opened in Shoreditch in April 2017, and a third on Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell, in October 2017. In regular Pret shops, more veggie and vegan options have been introduced, and they now make up 51% of the sandwich and salad offering to meet customer demand.

In addition to new vegan items launching this January, customers who bring in a reusable cup will be able to enjoy a new 50p discount on Pret’s hot drinks.

In December, Schlee tweeted asking customers, “How do we encourage customers to bring reusable coffee cups to @Pret? We’re thinking of increasing the discount for bringing your own cup from 25p to 50p. Our organic filter coffee would cost just 49p. I’d love to hear your thoughts.” He was inundated with suggestions, ideas and feedback, and, as a result, a new discount will be introduced.

Pret has also committed to sourcing a well-designed reusable cup ready to launch later in the year.