It’s been 22 years since Leon first appeared on UK high streets, serving up a ‘healthier’ alternative to traditional fast food.
The chain, which has a Mediterranean-inspired menu, was started by three friends, John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and Allegra McEvedy, who loved food but were ‘frustrated’ with the limited options available for meals on the go.
Together they created Leon, which was named after John’s father, opening its very first site on Carnaby Street in London in 2004.
It was quickly named the ‘best new restaurant in Great Britain’ at The Observer Food Monthly Awards, and at its peak, boasted around 70 locations across the UK and Europe.
But by 2021, the pandemic had hit Leon hard, and John ultimately decided to sell up. Leon was bought by EG Group, owned by billionaire brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, in a sale thought to have cost £100 million.
Flash forward two years, and in 2023, the company was then moved under the ownership of Asda, as part of a wider deal following EG Group’s acquisition of the supermarket.
It was a move that ‘raised an eyebrow,’ according to Clive Black, the head of consumer research at Shore Capital.
Unconvinced the two companies were well-suited for one another, he told The Grocer: ‘Asda is a mid-to-lower income value-based superstore group, whilst Leon is a mid-to-upper income food-to-go label.
‘Hence, there was always a chance that Leon could be a square peg in a round hole in the Asda ecosystem.’
And Clive wasn’t the only one with reservations about this. Leon’s co-founder, Henry, also voiced concerns that Asda would ‘destroy’ the brand, after it started shifting the offering towards unhealthier food options.
Notably, under Asda’s ownership, items like burgers, cookies and chicken nuggets were added to the menu, and in 2025, the brand also started selling frozen waffle fries in supermarkets.
Henry, who previously worked as the government’s food tsar, wasn’t impressed, telling The Telegraph: ‘I know how easy it is to be sucked down into just going for the thing that’s tasty, the sugar, the salt, something that’s cheap,’ he said. ‘They’ve realised chips sell […] that’s the cheapest way to make money. But in the long term, that’s going to destroy the brand.’
His comments came after a post on the Leon social media account featuring chips in an air fryer.
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Leon’s big comeback
While the waffle fries might not be going anywhere any time soon (they’re a best-seller), big things are happening at the restaurant chain.
At the end of 2025, John bought Leon back from Asda, and the chain entered administration, closing underperforming sites to help restructure the business and focus on future success.
As part of this, John’s been rounding up some of the original team to work on returning the chain to its roots… literally.
‘We’re going back to the earth; we’re going to be very ingredient-centric, working with an abundance of ultra seasonal ingredients,’ John tells Metro.
‘We’ll be soil-first, working out what delicious food we can make from the ingredients that we have in the UK and taking a ready, steady, cook approach, instead of creating a standard menu and sourcing ingredients from all over the world to make it work.’
He continues to say that he hopes the chain can become the ‘finest purveyors of fruits, plants and meats’, and they’ll also be exploring ‘good fats’.
Expect big menu changes
One of the biggest changes John is making is to have Leon become inclusive for everyone, regardless of dietary requirements.
‘Whatever way you want to eat, there will be something at Leon that caters for you,’ he vows.
As part of this menu shake-up, customers can expect to see some classic Leon dishes making a comeback, such as the Lentil Masala.
These fan favourites are being ‘refreshed and refined’, and given a ‘chef’s touch’ in a bid to make Leon’s food ‘what it once was, and what it should always be’.
For January, there are also some newcomers on the menu, including a Salmon Smörgås-Box, with smoked salmon, two poached eggs, smashed avocado, spinach and a seven-seed topping, as well as a Banana & Turmeric Honey Granola.
There’s much more to come though, as John teases ‘major innovation around food that tastes good and does you good’.
‘We’re going to reclaim Leon’s leadership in flavour and nutrition,’ he continues.
Just don’t expect to see sandwiches or ‘build your own’ options, as John has booted these recent additions off the menu, in a bid to stop Leon from pandering to trends.
He explains: ‘Henry Ford didn’t research trends; he came up with a car. Steve Jobs didn’t study the competition; he created the iPhone, which was visionary.
‘In a business, you need clarity, direction and a mission. But Leon got confused. It started doing things like sandwiches because there was an increasing demand around them, but it’s a bit like if Lamborghini started selling a people carrier for families because the people carrier market was taking off.
‘A brand has to know itself and stick to what it is, but Asda didn’t know the brand, and it wasn’t a priority for them.
‘The whole point of the Leon I created was about doing “proper” food, so you didn’t have to rely on sandwiches.’
Will you be trying the new refreshed menu at Leon?
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Yes
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No
That said, John claims he ‘doesn’t blame Asda’ for what’s happened to Leon over the last few years.
‘When the business was transferred from EG Group into Asda, Leon essentially became an orphan child,’ he explains. ‘It had a lack of parental focus.’
‘Asda managed Leon like any other Asda business, they had their own strategy, but supermarket culture is very different to restaurant chain culture. They were optimising margins, shaving hours off, and reducing the ingredient costs, but restaurants need to be all about quality and driving revenue.’
He adds: ‘That’s just what supermarket culture is like. If Leon were to run Asda, we wouldn’t do a good job either… It’s a bit like oil and water.’
An Asda spokesperson said: ‘We would like to thank Leon colleagues for their contribution and hard work during the last two years as part of the Asda business and wish them all the best as they move forward under new ownership.’
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