Major Coffee Chain Backs Out Of SoCal After Plan For 40 Stores

LOS ANGELES — A coffee chain that boasted big plans to bring dozens of locations to Southern California appears to have left the market, except for one airport spot, according to reports.

United Kingdom-based Pret A Manger announced in 2022 that it intended to bring a network of shops to the region in a partnership with Dallas Holdings Ltd. as part of a plan to double the size of its business over five years. The company anticipated opening about 40 Southern California locations, SFGate reported.

The local expansion began with a Westwood shop that opened in 2024, followed by additional locations in Studio City, Century City and LAX, according to SFGate.

The Studio City shop’s Yelp page lists the business as reported closed. Local restaurant blog Toddrickallen reported in April that the Westwood and Century City spots had shuttered as well, with Yelp also reflecting the closures.

While the LAX location remains, SFGate noted that it is managed by concessions operator ASUR Airports, not Dallas Holdings.

Neither Pret A Manger nor Dallas Holdings replied to multiple requests for comment on the closures from SFGate.

As of late August, Pret A Manger, which opened its first shop in London in 1986, had over 730 locations worldwide, including in the U.S., where the chain can be found along the Mid-Atlantic urban corridor and in Chicago.