Back in London, CEO Rolfe is sitting at a table in his office, reviewing a summary of customer comments, which he receives every Friday. "Some of this stuff goes against the grain of what we do," he says, like the customers who want Pret to offer a wide array of hot food or more seating. What helps the company achieve some of the highest sales-per-square-foot averages in the quick-serve sector is the chain's high throughput: Most customers select their food, pay for it, and leave -- fast. But Rolfe says that Pret will soon offer hot soup in Britain, as it does in New York. The company also responds to customers who protest when favorite sandwiches -- such as the Moroccan lamb wrap -- are cycled off the menu: Pret reintroduces items with a big "I'm Back" sticker on the box. "It makes customers realize that we listen," he explains.

Rolfe says that one of the biggest challenges he faces is keeping Pret true to its egalitarian roots in the wake of the McDonald's investment and the increasing pressure to take the privately held company public to finance its expansion in the United States and Asia. "I took this job because my personal values and the company's values match," Rolfe says. "I wanted to be myself and make decisions based on what's right. There's no reason I would allow anything to change that." Learn more about Pret A Manger on the Web (www.pretamanger.com). Read Scott Kirsner's account of his day making sandwiches in London here.

Sidebar: Service, for a Change

"Would you like fries with that?" It's the unofficial motto of a workplace that treats frontline employees like so many cheeseburgers. Pret A Manger has a different approach. Many of its workers and managers are refugees from the Golden Arches, having gravitated to Pret because of its higher pay, limited schedules (most shops are open weekdays from 7 AM to 5 PM), and complete lack of grease-spitting deep fryers.

Ewan Stickley, Pret's head of training, explains that the company doesn't try to mold its employees into automatons. "There's no script," he says. "We don't want you to be a drone. Our customers say, I like to be served by human beings."

One way to hire the right people is to let the right people help with hiring. Job applicants go through a trial day, during which they work at a shop. The team then decides whether the applicant would make a good addition.

Once they pass the test, employees are eligible for a variety of incentives. If a customer compliments an employee by name on a comment card, that staffer earns a silver Tiffany star to wear on his uniform. Employees who send in the best ideas for changes to procedure or products can win up to $1,500. The Sunday Times of London has listed Pret A Manger as one of the top 50 companies to work for in Britain -- the only restaurant chain, fast food or white tablecloth, to make the cut.