Dear Pret A Manger - Why are your London restaurants so much cheaper and better than your branches in New York?

IT doesn't make sense. A lunch that costs £6 or £7* at Pret A Manger in London, costs $15 in New York (which is about 50% more). But New York is cheaper than London (if something costs $1 or $2 in New York, it usually costs 1 or 2 more expensive pounds in London), and the city now has excellent access to good local produce, meats and cheese.

Why do I ask? Well, in London I liked the Pret A Manger food and found it a good buy. In New York the food has been disappointing, and I've stopped going.

In London, McDonald's is so 20th century

* $9 to $10

PS: "In London, McDonald's is so 20th century" - McDonald's knows this, which is why they owned a large stake in Pret A Manger from 2001 to 2008. In America, McDonald's was the largest stakeholder in Chipotle until a public stock offering in 2006.

The topic of "the problem of numbers," raising the quality of chain stores is an interesting and the issue of local economies is an interesting one. The chains market so well and make so much money.