leon outlet London

Leon’s outlet in London’s Carnaby Street. The fast food chain will soon be available at motorway services

Fast food chain Leon is to open its first outlets along UK motorway services this summer.

The restaurant has signed a deal with Roadchef that will see its branches open at Norton Canes on the M6 and Strensham South on the M5 in August, with further expansion planned over the next five years.

The new restaurants will create nearly 60 jobs combined at the two sites.

Roadchef, which operates 30 service areas across the UK, said the deal would contribute towards Highways England and the Department of Transport’s initiative to improve the wellbeing of motorway users.

“We strive to offer our customers a range of different food options to refuel while travelling that will refresh, revive and reinvigorate them so they can continue on their journeys safely,” said Roadchef CEO Simon Turl.

“We scoured the market for a brand that would complement our existing offering and Leon, with its impressive naturally fast food credentials, stood out. We are thrilled that Leon have chosen Roadchef as the partner to introduce their brand to the motorway network, our two companies share a people-focused culture and we are confident that our customers will be impressed with what Leon have to offer.”

Founded in 2004 by John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby (son of BBC broadcaster David Dimbleby), and chef Allegra McEvedy, Leon received a £25m cash injection from Swiss private equity firm Spice in May as it presses ahead with plans to open its first US restaurant this year.

In June 2016, Leon opened its first restaurant outside of the UK in Amsterdam.

Leon managing director John Upton said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Roadchef and taking Leon on to the motorways of Britain. At Leon we want to help everyone eat well and live well. We have always said we want Leon to be where it was most needed - either on the high street or easy to find when you’re out and about. This new partnership with Roadchef will help us provide fun, fast, fresh Leon food to the millions of people who use our motorways every day.”