Leon unveils plan for first of many drive-thrus: Natural fast food brand Leon has unveiled plans for its first drive-thru restaurant in West Yorkshire. The prominent new 2,000 square foot drive-thru restaurant is the first of its kind for the Leon brand, and the fourth Leon restaurant to open in West Yorkshire. The 50-plus cover restaurant, which is set to open in autumn 2021, is also the first new opening for the brand since its sale to EG Group in April 2021. The new site will create 30 new jobs for the area and a recruitment drive is about to commence across all positions from the kitchen to management. Sustainability will be at the forefront of both the build and finished restaurant. The eco-friendly restaurant will be supplied with power from a 100% renewable energy source. It will have solar panels on the roof which will contribute to further reducing energy consumption and, post-launch, it is planning to install a wind turbine that will generate even more sustainable power. There will also be electric vehicle charging and bike racks to encourage cyclists and cycle-thru guests. Product innovations and exclusive menu developments will also be unveiled at the West Yorkshire site with a focus on family eating and an expanded children’s menu. Guests will also find all the usual Leon favourites such as carbon neutral burgers, gluten-free chicken nuggets, grilled wraps, breakfast and lunchtime meal deals and the recently launched organic coffee subscription. To enable a streamlined service, this will be a digital-first restaurant with kiosks for digital ordering and payments which will include Shopper Recognition technology to seamlessly recognise kiosk orders that are placed by existing customers already signed up to the Leon smart order online ordering platform. In partnership with EG Group this is the first of many planned drive-thru openings and the start of a focused and accelerated UK expansion, with additional locations already identified. Nick Ayerst, managing director, Leon, said: “This is a significant milestone for Leon. We've been discussing the first Leon drive-thru with EG Group for five years now, and we're excited to open in West Yorkshire later this year. We have three other Leon in the surrounding area and we’ve received such a warm welcome from locals, who tell us they love our naturally fast food. 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.” Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa, co-founders and co-chief executives, EG Group, said: “This is the first of many new, strategic openings for the Leon brand under EG ownership. Opening a Leon drive-thru concept is a landmark moment for the brand, creating a fantastic opportunity to bring Leon’s naturally fast food to even more people. 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.”Leon has more than70 restaurants throughout the UK, as well as in Amsterdam, Dublin, Rotterdam and Gran Canaria. With delivery kitchens in Manchester and Leeds. The brand has launched 13 cookbooks, including the recent release of Happy Guts and sold over one million books, along with cookware and tableware.