Pret a Manger Coming to Dress Barn Space at 17th and K St, NW

by Prince Of Petworth December 13, 2012 at 4:00 pm 30 Comments

1701 K Street, NW

And I didn’t even know the Dress Barn had closed… A permit posted out front says a restaurant will be coming into the space:

~~More info as it becomes available.~~ Pret a Manger it is. Pret a Manger is on a Taylor Gourmet paced expansion around town!

Ed. Note: We recently learned that a Noodles and Company was opening across the street on the east side of 17th and K.

quincycyclist

Also the giant Pret signs give it away:
http://i.imgur.com/Y2lBC.jpg
- Prince Of Petworth
  
  hahaha sign wasn’t there on Sunday!!
Christine

It’s going to be a Pret A Manger, according to the new window coverings that were put up a few days ago.
talula

There’s another Pret 3 blocks away on 18th & I. So many Prets!
zero_sum

Dress Barn is, literally, the worst name for a women’s clothing store.
bgluckman

Meh. Am I the only one who really does not like Pret? A couple of times I’ve gotten stuff there so inedible, it wound up in the trash.
- Anonymous
  
  i’ve never been. not even tempted to go. probably never will.
  - dat
    
    +10 – Looks disgusting. I can’t believe anyone would go there, considering the other lunch options in this area…
- lindz0722
  
  I actually really like it, for an overpriced quick grab-and-go meal. They’re very consistent from location to location and everything I’ve gotten has been fresh. I like the flavor combinations much more so than at Au Bon Pain, and they have good healthy and mix-and-match options.
  - Anonymous
    
    I’ve never tried their sandwiches, but I thought their salads and their yogurt/granola pots were decent, the few times I couldn’t bring my food with me and needed to grab something quick. Also, I don’t know this first-hand, but I think I remember hearing somewhere that Pret is actually among the better companies (not that the bar is that high) in the quick-grab food industry, as far as starting wages and working conditions go.
- kev29
  
  Pret is EASILY the best quick sandwich/coffee chain in the area. They need to buy and replace every Au Bon Pain, putting them out of existence forever.
Anonymous

Everything I’ve tried at Pret (two visits) was disgusting! There’s one at 19th and L…why do they need one so close? Ugh we need more choices, not the same crap!
AK

I actually really like a couple of the baguettes at Pret, but I am so sick of chains putting their locations so close together. Just a matter of time until every block in the city has a Pret, a Taylor, a Sweetgreen and a Potbelly!
- textdoc
  
  Up by the Georgia Ave.-Petworth Metro station, we’d be happy to take any of the above!
Anonymous

Pret is awesome. Yay.
Chris

I’m just relieved that it’s not a CVS. Also, this made me sad. I love walking past the Dress Barn and wondering who on Earth shops at the Dress Barn anymore.
- Jenn
  
  Women, on their lunch hour, who need affordable decent-looking clothes. I, for one, will miss Dress Barn here. Was just there about a month ago and had no idea they were closing. The ladies who worked there were really nice and helpful, so I hope they got jobs at other locations. There’s nothing to buy downtown anymore except a flavorless wrap, weak coffee, and food truck crap.
  - Anonymous
    
    Go to Swings for coffee.
    Best in the city, IMHO.
jumpingjack

There is already a Pret three block away, and another two blocks away (four blocks from the first). I do not understand Pret’s location decisions.
- Anonymous
  
  How far do people walk for lunch? 3 blocks? It’s not like there’s a shortage of people in this area. May as well make it convenient for them.
philr6

I live in London now, and if you think there’s Pret everywhere in DC, come over here. But I’m surprised at the comments on quality; it’s great here.
- Anonymous
  
  its great here too. note that the people complaining about the food, oddly enough, are also stating that they’ve never eaten there.
  - Anonymous
    
    Nope. Different people.
  - bgluckman
    
    I’ve eaten there multiple times. I’ve also eaten at the London ones, which are MUCH better in quality than the ones here.
    - Anonymous
      
      If it’s so bad, then why do you keep going back? I’ll generally give a restaurant a second chance, but if it still sucks after that, I’m done with them for good.
- JB
  
  Welcome to PoP. If you build it, they will hate on it.
  - Anonymous
    
    Actually, many places are pretty universally loved by pop readers.
- textdoc
  
  Pret’s prices are much better in London than in D.C. (Usually it’s the other way around!)
  
  I don’t think I’ve actually tried Pret in the U.S. yet… I think the prices gave me such sticker shock that I walked right back out.
kken

Pret is this decade’s Cosi…
- Anonymous
  
  And you see what has happened to 2 Cosi’s directly in that area also….the one at 19th and K and the one at 20th and M are both closed up and no more….there was just too many in one area…the one at Dupont Circle South was enough for that entire area as shown by these 2 closures….PRET SHOULD LEARN FROM COSI…..and besides Cosi’s food is WAYYYYYY better than Pret’s any day of the week!

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