In January 2025 a Pret A Manger cappuccino cost £3.80 at Farringdon Street, £3.90 at Blackfriars Station and £4.05 via delivery in the City of London (industry research, 2025). That spread is not inconsistency — it is deliberate location- and channel-based pricing, and it is one of the few margin levers left in a high-cost market.
The logic
Rent, footfall and guest price-tolerance differ by site; a single national price means overcharging where demand is soft and undercharging where convenience carries a premium. Channel adds a second axis: a delivered item carries commission and packaging the counter sale does not, so mirroring prices across channels quietly transfers platform costs onto your dine-in margin.
The trap for smaller groups
Chains run pricing teams; a two- or three-site restaurant group runs on the owner's judgement — and often on a till system where changing a price means changing it everywhere, or changing it site by site by hand. That operational friction, more than strategy, is why smaller groups leave the lever untouched. Menu and price management needs to be central in decision and local in application: one place to set prices, per-site and per-channel values, one audit trail.
Guardrails
Price by location openly and modestly — guests accept a station premium; they resent feeling gamed. Keep signature items closer to parity across sites than long-tail items, and always price delivery to carry its own costs.
Operator takeaway
If you run more than one site, review price parity quarterly: same item, each site, each channel, side by side against local costs. Most groups find at least a few items priced by history rather than by margin.