Leon in Harrogate is due to close at 8pm today.
It will mark the end of an ill-fated nine-month venture by the fast food chain, which employed about 20 people on Wetherby Road.
The final meals will be served at 8pm unless supplies run out sooner.
The site is operated by EG Group, which has a chain of forecourts across the country.
They include franchise partners such as Starbucks, Greggs and KFC.
EG Group considered opening a Starbucks on Wetherby Road before opting for Leon instead.
There is speculation it will now revert to its plans for a Starbucks, but the company has not replied to the Stray Ferret’s enquiries about its plans.
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Knaresborough to get new fish and chip shop
A new fish and chip shop is set to open in Knaresborough.
Fish-a-rama is expected to begin serving customers at around Easter on the site of a former Chinese takeaway on York Place.
Owner Aytach Sadik ran a fish and chip shop in London before moving to Harrogate 22 years ago.
Since then he was been involved with Chico’s and Bambino’s takeaways in Harrogate.
Mr Sadik said he had spent about £200,000 on the new family-run business, which he said will be a family business selling the best fish and chips around:
“We will only use fresh fish. The quality isn’t there with frozen fish. We will also serve grilled sea bass and bream on a barbecue.”
“Everything is brand new – from the electricity and gas to the fittings. We knocked it back to the bare walls.”
The family-run business is preparing to open.
Mr Sadik said the business intended to apply for planning permission to open an outdoor seating area with a retractable roof on the large forecourt outside.
In the meantime, customers will be able to take their orders and eat them at tables on the patio at the front.
Mr Sadik, who is 67, is coming out of retirement for the venture. He said:
“I did retire two years ago but it’s just not for me. How many days can you play golf?”
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Leon confirms Harrogate closure amid speculation over site’s future
Leon has confirmed its Harrogate restaurant will close in just over two weeks’ time — as speculation mounts over the site’s future.
The Stray Ferret revealed this week the Wetherby Road fast food venue would cease trading, with the loss of about 20 jobs, on April 2.
Staff were informed of the decision on Monday.
A Leon spokesperson said today:
“We’re confirming we have decided to close the doors of Leon Harrogate on Wetherby Road. Our last trading day will be April 2.
“Guests will still be able to get their Leon fix at the drive-thru in Gildersome, and at the Leon Leeds Station restaurant.”
Retailer EG Group operates sites with franchise partners including Starbucks, Greggs and KFC in the UK.
It considered opening a Starbucks on Wetherby Road before Leon was announced instead.
Our Facebook post about Leon’s closure generated about 400 replies, with people eager to know what will follow.
Some local residents had objected to the site being used as a fast food restaurant because of its proximity to homes and the busy junction of Wetherby Road and Hookstone Drive.
Vehicles will stop using the site after April 2 — but it could only be a temporary pause until a new business moves in.
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Harrogate’s Leon drive-thru to open on Friday
Harrogate’s Leon drive-thru restaurant on Wetherby Road will open on Friday from 7am.
The Mediterranean-inspired fast food chain will be open daily from 7am to 10pm, except Sundays when it will be open from 8am to 10pm. It will have 70 covers, including some outdoor seating.
The restaurant has created 20 jobs and will feature digital kiosks.
Alex Parkinson, a Harrogate local who was originally hired by Leon as the assistant general manager at the firm’s Gildersome drive-thru, is leading the team.
The company describes itself as being good for the environment and its menu includes “carbon neutral” burgers, rice boxes, breakfast muffins, egg pots and cakes.
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The opening will end a saga that has gone back several years.
Originally, a Starbucks coffee drive-thru was planned for the site but it was refused by Harrogate Borough Council only for the decision to be overturned by a government inspector.
Concerns remain from residents who live near the site on how the drive-thru will affect traffic on the busy Wetherby Road.
Leon was bought by Blackburn billionaires the Issa brothers in 2021.
Glenn Edwards, Leon’s managing director said:
Traffic and Travel Alert: Roadworks on Wetherby Road, before Woodlands traffic lights, have closed a section of lane and caused delays into town“Since opening our first drive-thru restaurant last year, we have been eager to grow this style of restaurant in order to bring Leon to more guests and allow them to experience Leon while on the go – something that aligns with our mission to bring naturally fast food that tastes good, does you good and is kind to the planet.
“Our opening in Harrogate is a massive achievement across all fronts.”
Roadworks to the new Leon Harrogate site are causing delays after a section of Wetherby Road had to be closed.
Due to works on the pavement and tree removal, a section of the lane Macham Close and Hookstone Drive has been closed.
The works are set to continue until June 19.
The new Leon Harrogate, just before the Woodlands traffic lights, was formally a dental surgery and although previously earmarked to be a Starbuck drive-thru is will a Leon, described as a healthy fast food chain.
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Leon to open drive thru restaurant in Harrogate
Fast food chain Leon is recruiting staff to work at a drive thru restaurant in Harrogate.
The company, which has about 70 outlets in the UK, is to open on the Wetherby Road site that received planning permission to be a Starbucks..
The Stray Ferret revealed last month that speculation was growing that the site could host a Leon.
Now Alex Parkinson, general manager of the first Leon drive thru in Leeds, is advertising for staff.
In a post on a Facebook recruitment site, she said:
“I’m currently the general manager of the first Leon drive thru in Gildersome, Leeds — and I’m super-excited about opening our second drive thru in Harrogate.
“We are looking for team members and supervisors to join us.”
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Leon describes itself as a place that sells healthy fast food that is environmentally friendly.
Options include vegan sausage muffins, Harissa chicken salad and blackberry, apple and ginger porridge
Leon was recently bought by Euro Garages group, which was awarded planning permission last year to open a drive-thru Starbucks on Wetherby Road.
Could fast-food chain Leon be coming to Harrogate?
Is fast-food chain Leon planning to open one of its restaurants in Harrogate?
The company, which describes itself as a place for healthy fast food, has about 70 outlets in the UK.
It was recently bought by Euro Garages group, which was awarded planning permission last year to open a drive-thru Starbucks on Wetherby Road.
Rumours have been circulating online that the group could prefer to open a Leon at the site.
The rumours were fuelled when a job advert for a general manager for a Leon restaurant in Harrogate was posted in November.
The Stray Ferret asked Euro Garages, which bought the chain last year for a reported £100 million, if it could confirm whether a Leon would be opening at the Wetherby Road site instead of a Starbucks.
However, a spokesperson would not be drawn on the issue.
Leon set for drive-thru expansion
Euro Garages has permission to open a Starbucks drive-thru on the former dental surgery site.
Work is already underway on Wetherby Road and the surgery has since been demolished.
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- Government approves controversial Wetherby Road Starbucks
Although the company had earmarked the land for a Starbucks, it also has plans to expand Leon.
In December, Leon announced that following the takeover from Euro Garages it intended to open 50 more restaurants across the UK.
The fast food chain recently opened its first drive-thru in Leeds and opened new sites in Milton Keynes and Holtspur in Beaconsfield.
Speaking in December, Glenn Edwards, managing director of Leon restaurants, said:
“We are very excited to announce a significant acceleration of Leon’s expansion. For the first time we will be taking Leon across the country, driving regional growth at speed. The new formats in this rollout will build on our traditional restaurants and form a base for further growth.
“Making Leon even more accessible is at the heart of this strategic expansion. We are absolutely focused on delivering for our clients and living up to Leon mission – making it easier for everybody to eat well, live well and be kind to the planet.”