STAFF members at bakery chain Greggs are set to pocket around £300 each after the company announced a £7 million windfall payment to its employees following a "phenomenal year".

The company said its underlying pre-tax profit, even with the payout to staff, would be ahead of expectations when it announces the 2019 results in March.

Bradfordians have done their bit to make Greggs so popular with busy branches at the Interchange, Kirkgate Centre and The Broadway among others. 

But the big question in all of this is; what's your favourite thing to buy from Greggs?

Is it the sausage rolls? The doughnuts? The baguettes or the new Vegan sausage roll or vegan steak bakes?

Let us know on the comments section. 

Meanwhile, Greggs' 19,000 employees who have been with the firm since before March 31 last year will get £300 each, while the remaining 6,000 staff members will be paid £75 per quarter they have worked for the baker. The bonus will be made at the end of January.

It comes a year after the launch of Greggs' much-hyped vegan sausage roll, which has helped push up sales and extend the chain's appeal to a new audience.

Greggs opened 138 new shops, while closing 41, over the year, bringing its total to 2,050 across the UK. It said it plans to add a further 100 throughout 2020.

Sales grew 13.5 per cent, compared to 7.2 per cent growth in 2018. Like-for-like sales, which strips out the effect of shop openings and closures, were up 9.2 per cent.

"Looking to the year ahead, we face strong sales comparatives and cost inflation headwinds present a challenge," Mr Whiteside said.

Among these challenges, which were predicted to be tougher than in recent years, are the increase in national living wage costs, the business said. It also warned that the rising price of pork was likely to impact the business.

In October, Greggs said it was stockpiling key ingredients, such as pork, ahead of Brexit.