For me, it’s the sausage, bean and cheese melt that keeps bringing me back.
There’s something almost magical about how Greggs unites here. As if the nation has collectively agreed, “Yes, we’re all different, but we can all appreciate a sausage roll.”
Greggs floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1984 with a market capitalisation of £15 million and an estate of just over 260 shops. It now has more branches in Britain than any other fast-food outlet, with 2500 stores across the UK. McDonald’s has about1450 outlets in the UK and Ireland.
According to pollster YouGov, the chain has 99 per cent awareness among the British population – the single most popular dining brand in the nation.
At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is squeezing pockets, Greggs offers a breakfast meal deal or a sausage roll and hot drink deal for £2.85. In many small towns, particularly in the north of England – where John Gregg opened his first store in 1951 – it is not unusual to see two Greggs within walking distance of each other.
And let’s not forget the other staples on the menu. The steak bake – a pastry filled with meat so tender it makes you wonder why every pie isn’t made this way. During the first COVID lockdown, the company shared the recipe online so bereft customers could make their own.
The vegan sausage roll – a revolutionary product – made headlines and sparked debate in 2019 by professional culture warriors. Piers Morgan spat one out on live TV and called the company “PC-ravaged clowns” online. But people went mad for it. A month later, the chain attributed a 10 per cent rise in sales to the vegan roll.
Greggs’ vegan sausage roll, which has contributed to a surge in sales.Credit: Greggs
But it’s not just the food that has earned Greggs its place in the hearts of the British public. It’s the attitude. It doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. Its pitch to customers has always been value. It’s not fancy, and it doesn’t need to be. They don’t sell sparkling water. There’s no quinoa salad or avocado toast here – just honest, no-nonsense food that fills you up and makes you feel good about life.
The sandwich fillings may come pre-chopped, the loaves are frozen before they’re baked, but that’s all part of the charm. The brand knows exactly who its customers are – and has got it down to a science.
But that’s where the magic lies. Greggs is so wonderfully unpretentious that even the A-listers can’t resist it. It has given black “concierge cards” to Ed Sheeran and Stormzy, offering them unlimited food. Hollywood hunk Jake Gyllenhaal has admitted he delights in a Greggs visit when in the UK.
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Yet, apart from a failed attempt to expand into Belgium, Greggs has never, nor does it plan to expand beyond Britain’s borders.
The future might be uncertain, but in the world of fast food and flaky pastries, Greggs leads the way. It is a cultural touchstone, a symbol of comfort, and above all, like nothing else on earth.
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