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An iconic British sandwich chain has almost disappeared from Southern California, just four years after announcing an ambitious plan to bring dozens of locations to the area.

Pret a Manger, the London-based, grab-and-go chain known for its sandwiches, salads, wraps and coffee, announced a major Southern California push through a partnership with Dallas Holdings, a food and beverage brand operator.

The 2022 deal envisioned roughly 40 new locations across the state as part of the chain's effort to expand its franchise business.

'More people want to experience Pret,' CEO Pano Christou said at the time, 'whether that’s customers outside of London and other big cities, new franchise partners who want to work with us here and overseas, investors in our business, or people who want to grow their careers here and be part of what we’re trying to build.'

Instead, the expansion backfired.

Today, only one Pret a Manger location remains operating in Southern California - a shop inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. That location is operated by airport concessions company ASUR Airports, rather than Dallas Holdings.

The retreat comes after Pret a Manger, also known simply as 'Pret' by customers, opened several locations across Los Angeles.

Its first Southern California storefront opened in Westwood near UCLA in 2024, followed by locations in Studio City, at LAX and inside Westfield Century City.

Pret a Manger is known for their coffees, soups, sandwiches, pastries and other lunch staples

Pret a Manger Pano Christou announced the chain's expansion plans following the Covid pandemic

Now the former Westwood location, which closed by early April, is slated to be a Ghost Sando Shop, a growing Los Angeles sandwich brand known for its sandwiches served on Dutch crunch bread.

The company is expected to open its seventh Southern California location in the former Pret.

Pret called its initial Southern California push the beginning of a much larger network, with plans to move into high-profile neighborhoods like Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

That rollout has since been paused or abandoned altogether.

The company's reversal comes as a surprise to international fans, especially because Pret developed a cult-like following elsewhere in the US. For some California locals, though, Pret was never considered a go-to lunch spot.

'Really disappointing,' one Reddit user said of the Westwood location. 'Having Pret in the UK was actually pretty good.'

'Sandwich was fire but too expensive,' another added.

The remaining LAX Pret sells its large organic coffee for about $7, while a large cappuccino costs about $8.50. The location currently has a 3-star rating on Yelp.

Pret a Manger still operates hundreds of locations globally, including 40 restaurants in New York City alone

Meanwhile, the chain operates more than 40 locations in New York City, most of which have been open for several years.

Globally, the brand has hundreds of shops and remains a major name in the grab-and-go lunch market.

According to the company's website, there are over 400 locations worldwide with shops in the UK, USA, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore and now Dubai.

'We serve more than 300,000 customers every day,' they add, 'all of them looking to enjoy our fresh, healthy menu.'

The brand's July 2026 menu includes cozy staples like tomato soup and an almond croissants, as well as a chocolate brownie bar and a berries and cherries smoothie.