Pret a Manger has reopened 10 London stores located close to hospitals on a takeaway and delivery basis.
The sandwich shop chain, which closed all of its outlets on 20th March as the UK went into lockdown, said it made the decision "to help frontline healthcare workers get more access to freshly prepared food".
NHS workers are duly being offered a 50% discount at the newly reopened stores, which will stock "a reduced range of Pret favourites" as well as essentials such as milk, bread and butter.
In a statement, Pret said it was "incredibly grateful" that 160 staff members had volunteered to help reopen the 10 hospital-adjacent stores from 7am to 2pm daily.
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Pret's CEO Pano Christou added: "Our priority is always to protect our teams and customers as best we can, and we’ve put in place a number of new social distancing measures to align with the government’s guidance."
The newly reopened Pret stores are as follows: Fulham Road, South Kensington (Old Brompton Road), St George's University, St John's Wood, Tooting Broadway, King's Road, City Road, Great Portland Street, Vauxhall (St George's Wharf) and Warren Street.
While its stores have been closed, the chain has been helping regulars experiencing "Pret pangs" by sharing recipes for some of its most popular items on Twitter.
Pret a Manger isn't the only food chain to have reopened on a limited basis this week. Burger King has reopened four stores – one in Swindon, one in Coventry, and two in Bristol – on a delivery-only basis.
Meanwhile, KFC has reopened eleven outlets dotted across the UK on a delivery-only basis. "To do this in the right way, we’ve put new processes in place and stepped up our already stringent hygiene measures," the fried chicken chain said in a message posted on its website.
"We’re serving a limited menu, which means we can have a smaller kitchen team to maintain social distancing. Our teams are amazing and we’d never ask them to come back to work if they weren’t comfortable, so they’re returning on an opt-in basis."
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