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Comment by SCdF | Hacker News Reader

Meal deals are in every supermarket in the UK. Petrol stations even do them.

Also, as a foreigner who lives over there, I think they are... sad? I'm surprised they got a positive reception from your coworkers. For me they are a backup and a failure to do something more interesting.

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What people don't realise is the startups here in the UK run on miserable sandwiches, tasteless crisps and energy drinks. Middle management lives on slightly more expensive platters from Pret.

Unless you live in bumfuck nowhere theres zero reason to be subjecting yourself to a supermarket meal deal, we've got an overabundance of independent food places in towns in the uk.

Local food markets offer much better options than Pret to be fair

True, but it avoids any unknowns when the office manager is organising a senior leadership lunch meeting. "Nobody ever got fired for buying Pret".

A great Pret baguette is like £5. Food from a food market is £10 or more these days. They massively increased in price after covid.

Everything massively increased in price. Also you won’t get anything for less than a fiver jn pret. A regular baguette is 6.25 and add a coffee it’s now £10

Fortnum and Mason were cheaper than food markets for quite a while.

It varies. They have cranked the prices up in the last couple of years.

This is one of those things that varies by cultural cachet rather than actual quality. It's not that different from people living off Japanese konbini, but those are perceived as much cooler.

Most cities will have local sandwich options as well near major office districts, but they might not be as cheap.

No, Konbini, and Japanese food in general, is much much healthier than the equivalents in the West. Especially the Anglo West.

Konbini have more unhealthy stuff than you'll find in the ready-to-eat section of Tesco, although the sushi is better in Japan.

Both are way ahead of the USA.

I wouldn't say they are sad. They're a handy option when you're in a pinch. Sad if you're having a meal deal every day of course.

I imagine the positive reception is because the US doesn't have them so it's kind of novel.

Not M&S though

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