Leon to open 12 new restaurants in Roadchef service stations

Healthy fast food chain Leon is set to open 12 new restaurants in motorway service stations across the UK.

The deal with Roadchef comes comes two years after Leon opened its first two service station sites in Norton Canes on the M6 and Strensham on the M5.

Leon co-founder and chief executive John Vincent said: “It has long been my hope that we can help make food in service stations both nutritious and appealing. So I was excited to open our first two roadside restaurants with Roadchef.

“The response has been even more enthusiastic than I expected… (and) gives us confidence that we will be able to replicate the success in the US, where the drive-through and drive-to culture is so strong.”

Two new sites will open in Roadchef’s Northampton M1 Northbound services, followed by Rownhams M27 Southbound site later this summer, creating 30 jobs.

Leon has cashed in on the rise and rise of healthy eating, food-on-the-go and demand for vegetarian and vegan meals.

It now has 55 sites across the UK – mainly focused in the South East – having launched in 2004.

Roadchef chief executive Mark Fox said: “We are thrilled with the success of the two existing Leon restaurants and are incredibly excited to develop this relationship further with the opening of two new outlets this summer.”