When I think back to the jobs I had before I became a journalist, there’s one that sticks out as being the absolute best. I spent three and a half years working at Greggs while I was studying at university, and for many reasons, it was a great job to have.
The staff discounts, no late nights, and all the vegan sausage rolls I could eat. What wasn’t to love? And while the customers were generally very pleasant, not everyone was a happy bunny when they approached those famous glass-fronted cabinets filled with goodies.
Nearly every interaction I had with a customer went pretty much the same way. They’d come up to the counter, give me their order, and wait around until I’d sorted everything and taken their payment before saying goodbye and heading on their way.
However, there was one question I must have been asked hundreds of times. Even now, whenever I’m in a Greggs and overhear someone asking the same thing, I get flashbacks to being behind that counter — and I know exactly the disappointment that’s about to follow.
Gesturing to the glass-fronted shelves filled with trays of sausage rolls, steak bakes and pies, customers would always ask: « Are they hot? »
And I often had to be the bearer of bad news and explain that no, they weren’t — and, contrary to popular belief, we didn’t actually keep the food behind the counter warm at all.
This was sometimes met with frustration — and fair enough. In the depths of winter when it’s freezing cold outside, the last thing you want is a cold pastry to match. But there was a good reason why we didn’t do this, and it’s one I had to explain many times over.
The savoury pastries that you buy at Greggs aren’t advertised as being hot, nor are they kept in any heat-retaining area or packaging. This is because if they were kept hot after they had been baked, then they would be subject to VAT and the customer would have to be charged a higher price.
« Can you reheat it? » was another common question, and sadly the answer was also no, for the same VAT reasons. Greggs does sell sandwiches that can be heated up for you, but customers can expect to pay more for this.
It’s really just down to luck whether you’ll manage to grab your favourite snack fresh out of the oven. And if you don’t see your savoury of choice on the shelves, just ask a member of staff — there’s a good chance a fresh batch is already baking away, nearly ready to come out.
