UK. Leading global concessionaire HMSHost unveiled healthy fast food concept Leon at Heathrow Terminal 3 yesterday (29 May) in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by The Foodie Report.
The landside restaurant is Leon’s first airport location, taking over the space from previous HMSHost concept The Bagel Factory. The partnership started earlier this year when the first HMSHost-operated Leon opened at the new King’s Cross Station Western Concourse.
Heathrow Head of Food & Beverage Ben Crowley said: “We are very proud to welcome Leon to Heathrow. Our passengers are among the most demanding travellers in the world and we are delighted to offer them the latest in handmade, healthy and natural fast food.”
Leon CEO and Co-Founder Henry Dimbleby told The Foodie Report: “It’s incredibly exciting to open our first Leon in an airport. When we sat together and talked about what Leon might be, we wanted it to be somewhere that made it easy for everyone to eat good food, and being in classic fast food locations was really important for that. We didn’t want Leon to be some small beautiful thing – it was really important to us from the beginning that it became the new fast food, and airports are obviously a big part of that.”
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Welcome to the wonderful world of airport food & beverage: cutting the ribbon at the opening of the Leon restaurant (L-R) Henry Dimbleby, CEO and Co-Founder, Leon; Kathryn Leahy, Terminal 3 Operations Director, Heathrow; Dawn Wilding, Vice President EMEA, HMSHost; Jonathan Stevens, Senior Account Manager Food & Beverage, Heathrow |
Leon’s offer comes under the fast food category but the company places a huge emphasis on nutrition, sustainability and transparency in its operations. The aim is to serve healthy, Mediterranean-inspired fast food that is sourced responsibly. Sustainable fish, free-range eggs, Fair Trade coffee, and organic dairy products are just some other measures taken to manage the environmental and social impact of the business.
Leon is a founding member of the UK-based Sustainable Restaurant Association and the company currently holds a “˜Silver’ rating for sustainability.
The dishes are designed for eating in or on-the-go and include convenient egg cups, porridge cups, snack boxes and fresh smoothies.
Speaking to The Foodie Report, HMSHost Vice President EMEA Dawn Wilding said: “This is a new departure for us at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 as well as a further deepening of our relationship with Leon. We’ve already had a successful roll-out of the first Leon at a UK rail station – specifically Kings Cross – and we’re especially pleased to be able to take their fresh approach to food and beverages to a whole new audience.
“We try to partner with fresh, forward thinking brands and this Leon partnership embodies that approach, which above all is designed to make sure that travellers have a greater, healthier and exciting choice of food and drink to choose from before they step aboard their flights. Ultimately, we’re in the business of making the traveller’s day better and I am confident that this opening will do exactly that.”
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Leon’s Henry Dimbleby and Heathrow’s Jonathan Stevens enjoy some warm snacks at the new Leon restaurant |
Restaurant décor is an important aspect of the Leon experience. The colour scheme of the serving counter is bright and seems designed to evoke a sense of excitement; but the seating area takes on a more relaxed atmosphere with Leon’s classic red, brown, green and gold décor with exposed brickwork.
“What has surprised me is actually the feel of it,” said Dimbleby. “You can create ambience and warmth even in a fairly old terminal building if you think about it carefully. If you look at people coming into Leon here you can see them lighting up. They don’t seem like they’re in an airport.”
When asked about Leon’s future in the airport commercial market Dimbleby said: “We’d like to have lots of airport locations and our partnership with HMSHost is critical to that. And hopefully we’ll not only expand in the UK but sooner or later abroad – entering the international market is being talked about at the moment.”
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A new era in fast food: healthy, sustainable fast food brand Leon is spreading its wings in the travel F&B industry |
*FOOTNOTE: Genevieve Knevitt is Deputy Editor of The Foodie Report, an e-Zine published by The Moodie Report and dedicated to all travel-related, revenue-generating food & beverage services. To view the most recent edition click here.
To subscribe, please e-mail Sinead.Moodie@TheMoodieReport.com
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the host of this year’s Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards to be held on 20-22 June. Click here for details.
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