06 December 2023 , 19:58
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People are only just realising that there's a reason Greggs don't keep their food hot in-store after it's been cooked, and it turns out it's actually for our benefit.
We all love a Gregg's sausage roll from time to time, but they're always so much nicer when you happen to time it after they've just cooked a new batch so they're nice and hot. If you've ever picked up one of the last pastries on the shelf then you'll know it can be pretty disappointing as it's almost always lukewarm at best, and stone cold at worst.
While we wish Greggs would keep their pastry treats hot after they've cooked them, it turns out there's a reason the shop doesn't have heat lamps and instead just allows their food to cool down on the shelf slowly - and it's because it helps them keep their prices lower.
In the UK, a value-added tax (VAT) is applied to hot takeaway food, while meals that have cooled down or are served cold are exempt from this rule. This means that if Greggs were to keep their sausage rolls and other baked goods hot after they'd been cooked, they would need to charge this tax, meaning we would pay more for the products.
Explaining the matter on the brand's website, a statement reads: "We sell savouries that are freshly baked in our shop ovens, then put on a shelf to cool. We don't keep them in a heated environment, use heat-retaining packaging, or market them as hot because of this.
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"As bakers, we believe that baking our savouries fresh each day gives customers the best quality product. If the sausage rolls and bakes 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, in the same way that we charge VAT on our hot sandwiches which are kept in a heated cabinet and are subject to VAT."
This means the shiny counters that house the pastry treats aren't heated and aren't keeping the food warm at all, which has prompted some customers to say Greggs has "fooled us all". The fast food chain has said in the past that the only way to guarantee orders are as hot as possible is to arrive "at the right time" when a fresh batch is being put on the shelf.
Meanwhile, Greggs launched their festive menu at the end of last month, including the return of the Festive Bake and the brand new vegan Spicy Vegetable Curry Bake. The millionaire-style Christmas Shortbread Bites, ginger and chocolate Christmas Tree Biscuits, and seasonally decorated Christmas Buns are all on the menu too.