Pret a Manger has no marketing or public relations department, nor does it advertise – but the energy it saves from omitting these activities seems to be fed directly into its customer services.
Speaking last week, company founder Julian Metcalfe spelt out his philosophy for running one of London’s most highly regarded ‘fast-food’ eateries.
“All we need are customers who care about what they eat and if we look after our customers, we’ll be fine,” Mr Metcalfe said in an interview with The Financial Times.
Looking after customers means being there to respond to their every concern, and if visitors to ‘Pret’ are unhappy, Metcalfe said, he hears about it.
He told the paper: “We have a customer service department and if you were to ring up today saying I’ve just bought an avocado wrap and there’s too much salt and I’m very angry and I want to speak to Julian Metcalfe, I guarantee you’ll be put through to me without a quibble.
“You try and do that now to British Airways on a £4,000 ticket. Go on. Say there was some chewing gum on my seat and I want to speak to the managing director of British Airways. You’ll never get through.”
May 22, 2007
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