NFriday wrote:Hi- The Pret at Church and Sherman in downtown Evanston is now open. I went in there for a few minutes yesterday just to look around, and I noticed that all the sandwiches and salads were premade. Is that the case in all of there stores?

Yes. I haven't been to the one in Evanston, only several of the stores in the Loop. Yes, the sandwiches and salads are premade. However, the selling point of Pret A Manger is that the sandwiches and salads are freshly made. I've seen them replenishing them in the refrigerator cases downtown, and based on their freshness - fresh bread that hasn't gotten soggy - I strongly suspect that they don't allow the sandwiches to sit around very long. At least, the ones I've eaten there have been absolutely freshly made, even though they were "premade" and not made to order. I've mentioned other issues above, but freshness isn't one of them.

The advantage of doing this is that you can walk in, grab a sandwich or salad, pay for it, and walk out, all in under a minute, even at the height of the lunchtime rush. I also like Panera Bread for sandwiches and salads - I like the food better and the portion sizes are more generous - but I've seen some mightly long lines at lunchtime at some of their stores, and there are times that the waits (waiting in line as well as the prep time) are too long for me to go there.

I don't know whether you can ask for a sandwich made to order at PAM, like if you want something different from their standard (like an ingredient held or added). Maybe you can.

NFriday wrote: I noticed that all the sandwiches and salads were premade.

Pret A Manger means "ready to eat." It's a take on "ready to wear" (i.e. off the rack) clothing.

So yes, everything is premade. Off the shelf, so to speak.

NFriday wrote:Hi- The Pret at Church and Sherman in downtown Evanston is now open. I went in there for a few minutes yesterday just to look around, and I noticed that all the sandwiches and salads were premade. Is that the case in all of there stores? It was really busy in there yesterday, but it was probably because the place is new.

This store is right across the street from a Panera Bread, and the soups look interesting, but I would rather go to Panera, and have them make a sandwich from scratch. At Panera, I can tell them to hold the mayo on my turkey breast sandwich. Hope this helps, Nancy

I've only been to Pret in England and New York, but in those locations, yes, everything seems to be premade. I haven't never asked whether they'll make things on the spot if you have special requests.

One time I asked if they had any mustard.

"no."