Leon to debut drive-thru concept in West Yorkshire

Natural fast food chain Leon has unveiled plans for its first drive-thru restaurant in West Yorkshire, in the “first of many” planned openings. Leon said the launch represented “the start of a focused and accelerated UK expansion, with additional locations already identified”. The 2,000 sq ft site is set to open in autumn 2021 and will create 30 jobs. The 50-cover restaurant is the first new opening for the brand since its sale to EG Group in April this year. The restaurant will be supplied with power from a 100% renewable energy source and will include solar panels on the roof. A wind turbine will also be installed after its launch, to generate more power. There will also be electric vehicle charging and bike racks to encourage cyclists to visit. It will also feature kiosks for digital ordering and payments, which will offer shopper recognition technology for existing customers who have signed up to the brand’s online ordering platform. Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa, co-founders and co-CEOs of EG Group, said: “This is the first of many new, strategic openings for the Leon brand under EG ownership. “Our investment in Leon, together with our unparalleled operational experience of drive-thrus and access to high-quality roadside locations through our forecourts, creates new opportunities for the company and a strong platform to deliver significant growth.” Nick Ayerst, managing director at Leon, said the brand has been “discussing the first Leon drive-thru with EG Group for five years now”. Ayerst said: “We receive lots of emails and tweets every week asking us to open even more restaurants in the north, and we hope this opening signifies that there are many more to come.” To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@eg.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @EGPropertyNews Photo: Leon