Scenario No. 1

The only thing that will get you through the rest of this day is that stir-fry at Open Kitchen, and you know it. But you get down to the lobby and—ugh!—it's raining. You didn't bring an umbrella, because you're a dumbass and didn't check the weather. Well, you're certainly not going to walk two and a half blocks to get stir-fry in the pouring rain. Nor could you possibly wait for a fresh sandwich to be made—not enough time! The only thing left to do is to duck into Pret and purchase a Bang Bang Chicken Wrap.

Scenario No. 2

You told yourself that if you didn't get to the gym after work today, you were literally going to have to go into hiding because you've been terrible this month, but now you have this co-worker's farewell drinks that you're already late for, and you know you can't be drinking cocktails on an empty stomach. You thrillingly consider the Wendy's, one of Manhattan's few, just around the corner, but even fast food won't be fast enough at this hour. You'll have to settle for a Buffalo Chicken Hot Wrap and lamely eat it out of perforated cardboard on the train uptown.

Scenario No. 3

You forgot it was Wednesday, which means it's vegetarian day in the cafeteria. Look, you don't have to prove your liberal bona fides to anybody, but not serving meat to an entire company of employees just to appease a few hippies is a scandal. Your consolation prize is to hustle down to Pret and grab a pre-packaged Smoked Ham & Egg sandwich and get back to work.

Scenario No. 4

Why you agreed to a lunch date with a guy from Tinder, you'll never know. The fact that you couldn't find a free evening should've indicated your mutual lack of interest. Oh, you're too busy? Sure, making your way through all seven seasons of "The West Wing" for the fourth time. Why you're still sitting in a Pret A Manger fifteen minutes after he texted "sorry on my way"—no capital letters—fifteen minutes after he was originally supposed to meet you, you'll really never know.

As you stare at a baguette wrapped in cellophane and contemplate your romantic failures, you come to a startling realization: you are Pret A Manger! You weren't his first choice—absolutely not! There were other girls he'd rather go out with, but you were there, not far from his office, and ready at a moment's notice. Well, you will no longer be settled for. You will no longer be professional New York's backup plan. If you are hungry, you will damn well eat something you want to eat or you will eat nothing at all.

You will never go to Pret again!

Scenario No. 5

The closing elevator doors reopen at the last second—and in walks Annoying Alan, a slightly older coworker whose role at the company no one seems to understand. You have defended him to your work friends, but he's earned his reputation for cornering people and monologuing about things like what a moron his daughter's preschool teacher is. You are terrified as the doors close behind him, because he has been known to hijack people's lunches, and you are some low-hanging fruit right now.

"Where are you going to lunch?" he asks.

"Actually," you smile, "I was just planning to grab something from Pret."