Anima says the action is part of a £1m campaign to hold the sandwich giant to account over its chicken welfare commitments.
The group says it is organising more than 80 protests in London and that its campaign has already attracted 20m views on social media.
According to Anima, the opening was attended by a local MP and councillors, who were met by activists “calling out Pret’s broken promise to stop selling ‘frankenchickens’”.
Pret A Manger is one of a number of hospitality brands facing a backlash after signing up to, and subsequently pulling out of, a commitment to stop selling fast-growing chickens – dubbed ‘frankenchickens’ by campaigners – by 2026.
KFC has also been targeted multiple times. Earlier this year, The Humane League UK (THL UK) protested outside KFC’s flagship restaurant in London’s Leicester Square.
One protester donned a chicken suit, another dressed up to parody KFC executives, while others held banners and placards calling for an end to ‘frankenchickens’ – chickens raised for meat that have been selectively bred to grow extremely large, extremely quickly, reaching slaughter weight in around 35 days.
Anima says its campaign has also drawn support from animal welfare campaign Project Slingshot, which is running adverts across more than 200 London Underground stations and 2,200 Tube carriages throughout the summer highlighting the ‘cruel fate’ of ‘frankenchickens’.
“The public are shocked when they find out the truth about Pret,” adds Connor Jackson, chief executive of Anima. “Every single bird they sell is a frankenchicken – bred to grow so fast that they suffer immensely. Customers expect far better, and most can’t believe the promise to stop selling these birds was made eight years ago.
“Pret can’t keep ignoring tens of thousands of people who’ve pledged to take a break, and the public figures standing with them.”
Pret a Manger has been contacted for comment.