LEON outlet at Clacket Lane Eastbound, situated between Chozen Noodle and Costa in the food court area. It opened during lockdown in July 2020 & Eastbound opened a matter of weeks after Westbound. Roadchef began refurbishing the food court at Eastbound before the lockdown in Jan 2020 with the intention of adding a LEON to the site, occupying space previously used for Fresh Food Cafe. LEON didn’t open until after lockdown due to social distancing measures and self-isolation of builders. LEON was popular as soon as it opened here as many were making “staycation” holidays around the UK, especially Cornwall, meaning more people travelling & using motorway services. LEON, being a recognisable, high street name, means customers know what to expect from LEON and may choose to use LEON instead of a lesser-known brand such as Chozen Noodle. LEON tends to be popular throughout the day as they specialise in breakfasts, lunches and dinner. LEON also obtain a wide range of coffees, benefitting tired motorists. The motorway networks “London Brands” (including this and Pret) have grown in popularity along the motorways as they are looking for an alternative source of trade away from London. LEON is a large restaurant at Clacket Lane East with seating of its own so customers don’t have to use the communal seating. It’s modern, clean and service is typically quite fast at LEON. McDonald’s, being a notoriously unhealthy food brand and Roadchef’s main brand partner, means customers expect their sites to only serve unhealthy meals, so Roadchef began using LEON to address this as they pride themselves on serving “healthy fast-food”. They began opening LEON at their sites in 2017, with the first location being Norton Canes. Since this Clacket Lane East LEON opened, the entire site has experienced more custom. LEON don’t tend to inflate their prices by much on the motorway so customers don’t notice any inflation, contrasting from Costa which isn’t seen as value for money by most people nowadays. LEON was surprisingly quiet during my visit, with most customers using McDonalds due to its low pricing and convenience. Some customers were using the facility, but a low proportion considering Clacket Lane East was packet at the time of visit. LEON is signposted from the M25 so customers know it’s here from the motorway. Additionally, LEON is advertised lots around the site.

Photo taken on 05/04/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Clacket Lane, LEON, M25, Roadchef