Serious Eats: New York
Pret a Manger: Bring Back the Ham and Cheese Baguette!
Look upon the Ham and Cheese Baguette with misty eyes. It's no longer available at Pret a Manger. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Now that we have your attention, Pret a Manger, I want to talk to you about something.
No, not your chocolate chunk cookies but YOUR HAM AND CHEESE BAGUETTE, which you NO LONGER CARRY.
Admittedly, it's been a while since I've been in one of your stores. After switching jobs a couple years ago I now work in a Pret-free part of Manhattan. But every now and then, when I'm in a Pret hot zone, I do pop in for a quick lunch (which Pret excels at).
Like last week. I went in and looked around stupidly for what was my favorite Pret sandwich. I must have caught the manager's attention because he came out from behind the counter and asked if he could help me.
"Sure. Where's the ham and cheese baguette? It was missing last time I was in about three weeks ago. Did you discontinue it?"
The manager of this particular store (to protect him from retaliation, I will not name locations or names) said that, yeah, Pret corporate back in the UK did drop the ham and cheese baguette.
"We started using a better, apple-smoked ham, which the people at the head office in London felt needed nothing more than mustard."
"Really? That's crazy."
"I know. It's like peanut butter and jelly. Ken and Barbie.* Ham and cheese. We keep asking them to bring it back, but it's fallen on deaf ears so far."
Well, hear me, Pret head office: BRING BACK THE HAM AND CHEESE BAGUETTE. Or else we'll start dumping your new Simply Ham and Mustard sandwiches in the harbor.
Who's with me?!?
*Yeah, ironic. Barbie dumped that cheeseball Ken several years ago and, as far as I know, hasn't taken him back.