In the UK, many people now see Greggs as a serious rival to McDonald's. Greggs has almost 2,740 shops across Britain. It is famous for cheap, quick food such as sausage rolls, sandwiches, baked pastries, pizza slices, and coffee. Many British people buy breakfast or lunch there on the way to work because the prices are usually lower than McDonald's. For example, a Greggs sausage roll costs around half the price of a McDonald's hamburger in Britain.

Greggs is also planning to expand overseas, starting with a new shop at Tenerife South Airport in Spain. Greggs is especially popular in northern England, where many people feel proud of the company because it began in Newcastle and is seen as a more traditional British brand than McDonald's.