H&C News wrote last week that Pret A Manger is welcoming evening diners into its shop at 88-89 Strand, with the introduction of a new evening menu and shop design (Pret trials Good Evenings on the Strand)
The Good Evenings concept is the first evening trial of its kind for Pret: from 6pm each day, the shop will transform into a casual evening dining experience.
The lure of ‘Gipsy’ previewing round the corner at the Savoy Theatre (highly recommended!) and the launch of Good Evenings by Pret was irresistible: a quick bite to eat followed by a great musical – what’s not to like, as they say?
Good Evenings
In fact, Good Evenings has been quietly ‘previewing’ itself for several weeks – its soft launch has sensibly allowed it to iron out problems and, as you’d expect of Pret, its welcoming, efficient staff do indeed greet you at the door, present the menu, and explain the system.
And it all works well: unsurprisingly, space is a little tight between some tables, but – even at the busiest time of night – waiting to place your order takes only a few minutes, and the food arrives remarkably quickly.
There is a complimentary bottle of still water on every table – a nice touch – and many diners added wine or beer, at very reasonable prices, to their order
The menu
As you’d expect from Pret, the dishes reflect the importance placed upon quality of produce and provenance and, judging by the relish with which other diners were consuming their meals, met with general approval.
Specifically, the lemon and rosemary chicken salad (served with quinoa rice and red cabbage, topped with raita, pistachios and pomegranate seeds) was well received, and the Korean BBQ Pulled Pork (shredded British pork in a Gochujang sauce, with quinoa rice and pickled red cabbage) was excellent: tasty, sufficient but not excessive ‘heat’, and an ample portion.
And there’s plenty of variety: from small plates to toasties, to salads and quinoa hot pots – all at very reasonable prices – the most expensive dish was £6.95, the majority are priced at or around £4.95, which is excellent value in London’s West End.
The verdict
Good Evenings is a work in progress, and menu and other refinements will certainly work their way through over time as a result both of careful analysis of sales, and of the guest feedback that was being encouraged. However, guests were certainly happy with the concept and food during our visit – as were we.
You can certainly argue that novelty combined with a prime location on the Strand, surrounded by theatres and attractions, will deliver customers in numbers. However, there are plenty of other eating options in close proximity, and the novelty will wear off.
Provided the Good Evenings concept can deliver the financial returns – and its labour costs must be considerably higher than the daytime Pret operation – this is a development that will be welcomed by consumers, and will attract new customers into Pret outlets.
And it will certainly have other casual dining operations watching its progress closely.