Pret a Manger Bulks Up Veg Menu for “Veganuary”

United Kingdom-based eatery Pret a Manger will add 15 new vegetarian items—14 of which are vegan—to the company’s ever-growing veg-friendly menu on January 5. The menu additions coincide with “Veganuary”—an annual campaign launched in the UK in 2014 to encourage people to go vegan for the month of January and beyond. The new menu options include breakfast items such as Apple & Pomegranate Overnight Oats, three hearty vegan soups made with vegetables and grains, and several “veggie pots” (vegetable-centric snacks packed into a small takeaway bowl). The fast-casual restaurant chain launched an all-vegetarian pop-up store in London last year. While CEO Clive Schlee planned to test the viability of the meat-free location for just one month, Schlee decided to keep the eatery open indefinitely due to a 70-percent bump in profits generated by the shop. In December, Pret a Manger USA—with 70 locations across New York, Boston, Washington DC, and Chicago—partnered with plant-based milk company Califia farms to begin offering almond milk-based beverages.