A new fast food drive-through restaurant is set to open in Harrogate early next month.
Leon will welcome customers from “early July” to its new Wetherby Road premises, though it has not yet confirmed an exact date.
New manager Alex Parkinson said a 17-strong team is already in training and she is hoping to add three more to that number. She said:
“I love working for Leon as I love the real sense of family within the teams we create – every store I visit has its own family dynamic but you are always made to feel welcome and at home.
“I enjoy the challenge of being a general manager, but my favourite thing about the role and Leon is developing people and watching people grow. Watching my team grow and develop during training has been my favourite part of Leon so far.”
The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant will be open daily from 7am to 10pm, except Sundays when it opens at 8am. It will have a total of 70 covers, including some outdoor seating.
Its menu includes “carbon neutral” burgers, rice boxes, breakfast muffins, egg pots and cakes.
The company has built its reputation on being good for the environment as well as for people – something which is not normally associated with fast food.
Alex, 28, trained with the company in London and helped to open its first drive-through in Gildersome, Leeds. She said she believes Harrogate is ready to welcome a new take on the fast food concept:
“I think it’s something different in the community, fast food that’s good for your gut and a place to come and sit with friends or family…
“We are mindful of our environmental impact in everything we do which is why we have put a number of processes in place to ensure our drive-through [restaurants] do as little damage as possible.”
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The arrival of Leon has proved controversial from the start, long before it was built.
Planning permission was eventually given after the application was initially rejected by Harrogate Borough Council, only for the developer to launch a successful appeal.
It was initially expected to be a drive-through Starbucks, but it was confirmed in March, after construction had begun, that it would instead be a Leon, another brand owned by Euro Garages.
The following month, developers were ordered to remove an 8m advertising sign outside the restaurant which had been erected before planning permission was granted.
However, Alex said now the construction work is complete, she is looking forward to welcoming customers inside.
“I am so excited to launch Leon in Harrogate – it’s probably one of my greatest accomplishments of my career, opening a store as a general manager.
“I could not have done it without the help of my team; they are absolutely amazing.”
