A former Greggs employee has revealed the best time of day to visit the bakery chain for the freshest, warmest pastries. Nicola Roy, who worked at Greggs for three and a half years during her university years, says that timing your visit around peak lunchtime is the key to getting a hot sausage roll.
Why pastries aren't always hot
Roy explains that the most common customer complaint during her time behind the counter was that food wasn't as hot as hoped. The reason, she says, is VAT. In the UK, cold baked goods and items left out to cool are zero-rated for VAT. By letting freshly baked pasties and sausage rolls cool on shelves without heated storage or heat-retaining packaging, Greggs can keep prices low.
However, Roy admits that the pastries taste better when they have heat in them. While visiting first thing in the morning might seem like a surefire way to get a hot pastry, mornings at Greggs were mainly focused on hot rolls and coffee, with only a small selection of pastries baked upon opening to avoid food waste.
Best time for hot pastries
Roy advises timing visits around peak lunchtime, roughly between 12pm and 2pm. Although queues may be longer, staff are constantly taking piping hot pastries, sausage rolls, and bakes out of the oven to serve customers. The most popular items, such as sausage rolls, steak bakes, and chicken bakes, were always prioritised, giving customers a better chance of getting them hot.
During the lunch rush, there is a risk that the person in front of you will buy lunch for the whole office, clearing out favourites quickly. If that happens, Roy suggests asking staff, who should be able to put a few fresh items in the oven, provided they aren't already baking.
Best time for cakes
For cakes, Roy recommends visiting first thing in the morning. Cakes are delivered every day and placed in cabinets, so the earlier you go, the softer they will be. Unlike the savoury snacks, cakes are delivered as they are, so there is no chance of staff baking another if they have run out of your favourite.
