This is why you sometimes get free coffee at Pret A Manger

Steve Robson
21 April 2015
Mirror UK
Customers are often left puzzled after being handed a free drink for no apparent reason – here’s why
How do you breed brand loyalty in the ultra-competitive world of coffee drinking?
Britain slurps an average of 70million cups a day, purchased from an ever-increasing array of chains and independent coffee shops.
In a bid to stand out from the crowd, the boss of fast food cafe Pret A Manger has revealed a cunning marketing ploy.
Chief Executive Clive Schlee gave staff permission to hand out free drinks to anyone they fancy.
“They will decide ‘I like the person on the bicycle’ or ‘I like the guy in that tie’ or ‘I fancy that girl or that boy’,” he told the Evening Standard.
“It means 28 per cent of people have had something free. It’s a nice, different way of doing it.”
Mr Schlee told the paper the ‘giving away free drinks’ scheme is a much better idea than “complicated” loyalty cards.
Waitrose recently caused a storm after it ememrged it was limiting it’s “free tea or coffee” loyalty scheme – although there are still ways to claim a free cuppa there.
And if that doesn’t appeal, we’ve also rounded 10 ways to get free tea or coffee here – that odn’t rely on the kindness of Pret staff.
His comments appear to have solved a riddle which has been troubling Pret customers for some time.
Many have taken to Twitter to reveal how they have been handed free coffee or food at the chain for no apparent reason.
Birmingham MailCaffeine addicts: Britain drinks an average of 70million cups of coffee a day
“Pret keep giving me free hot drinks and I have no idea why but it’s so brilliant. Feel like I’ve won the coffee lotto,” wrote one.
Either way the tactic appears to be working, sales at the chain jumped 16 per cent in 2014 to £594million worldwide.
So the next time the Pret man, or woman, hands you a free drink, you might want to hand back your phone number.