Copyright manchestereveningnews
A popular restaurant chain with a popular city centre site has announced it will be undergoing a major U-turn in an attempt to ‘return’ to its roots. LEON, which opened its first store in London in 2004, launched as a healthy fast food option, with a focus on Mediterranean-inspired dishes using sustainable and seasonal, high-quality ingredients. Its menu features the likes of super bowl salads, rice boxes, grilled wraps, waffle fries, burgers and breakfast muffins. It has a restaurant outside Manchester Piccadilly Train Station , which first opened in 2017. It also has sites in Bolton and Wigan , including an outlet at the M61 Motorway services. Original owners John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and Allegra McEvedy sold the chain to EG Group, the same owners as Asda, for a reported £100m in 2021 as part of a bid for the brand to ‘have even greater appeal to a broader customer base, especially outside of London’. Join our Manchester Food and Drink WhatsApp group HERE LEON’s ownership later transferred over to Asda in 2023 as part of a £2bn deal. Co-owner Vincent has now said he will be buying back the chain from the supermarket giant. It has not been confirmed how much the deal is worth. The deal will include 46 Leon restaurants, as well as 20 UK franchises. It will also include three franchised sites in the Netherlands, and another in Italy. It’s expected that around 1,120 staff across the chain will be transferred over to the new ownership. The news was confirmed by Vincent on Instagram, with a statement saying that he longed for the brand to ‘return home’ to its roots. He wrote: “Hello, I'm John. Today, I have the privilege of returning to LEON, the business I started with Henry and Allegra 21 years ago. “I would like to thank ASDA , Mohsin Isa, Zuber Issa and TDR Capital for giving me the opportunity to buy back the company that I love, and for wanting the best for LEON. “It is said we are all homesick. Homesick for a divine earth. And I think I might even know what that means. At our most essential, LEON will be again a place for Naturally Fast Food with a big welcome. With a secret mission to help us return home. “There are wonderful people in LEON and my job will be to work alongside them to create the earth’s favourite fast food.” The news has been met with excitement from some of the chain’s regular customers, with many sharing their suggestions on what they hope the changes will mean for them and some of their favourite dishes. One person said: “I used to work for Leon when it first opened in Oxford. The queues were down the road, the food and atmosphere incredible. I hope it returns to its glory!” BBC Radio 3 presenter Katie Derham said: “Exciting times …!!!”. The Traitors star Paul Gorton added: “More plant based options would be great, one of my favourite spots. Glad to hear some new stuff is coming!” Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here
