LEON, the naturally fast food chain, has announced another successful financial year and co-founder John Vincent has thanked his team by increasing staff benefits.
The annual accounts for year ending December 2015 (to be filed Monday 9 May), will show that LEON opened 12 new sites, created 235 new jobs and increased their like for like sales by an additional 7.8% on top of last year’s 23%. They also increased EBITDA by 46% (£2.26m from £1.55m).
In Q1 of 2016 LEON has already:
- Introduced the National Living Wage in January, three months before the legislation required, and to all staff regardless of age, and doesn’t pass the cost on to customers. In fact the chain has increased the range available at £5 or under
- Increased team benefits: team members still get free meals while on shift, get paid breaks and have staff discounts
- Introduced a 60% team member (plus four guests) discount on food outside of shift time
As part of the chain’s well-being project, run a trial in training baristas in the martial art of Wing Tsun, resulting in stress levels dropping and coffee making getting faster. They are now thinking about how to replicate for other staff as a commitment to their wellbeing. There have also been massages for weekend workers from the LEON Well Being Warrior and mindfulness classes for all store managers. (This is on top of two annual well-being events for managers each year, lasting two days and led by a range of health and well-being practitioners.)
Introduced a new ‘Power of Plants’ spring menu, with two new salads (Kean Bean and Courgetti and Kale) from a forthcoming LEON ‘Happy Salads’ book, and new Sicilian inspired meatballs with a fresh pesto sauce.
Thanking his 600-strong team, John Vincent credited the chain’s success to continued innovation and team commitment.
John Vincent said: “Every year LEON just grows bigger and stronger. To add 7.8% like for like sales to last year’s 23% is a testament to the LEON team.
“We want everyone to eat well and be well, and we start with our own team members, who are like family to us. That is why we have maintained benefits like free meals, paid breaks and, in addition, significantly increased the discount on meals when not on shift.
“In 2015 we continued to grow but never lost sight of what we do best; innovate and provide naturally fast food. Last year we developed a number of new items like a dairy free chocolate shake, our own date and cinnamon butter and a Brazilian black bean stew. We also reduced the sugar in our still lemonade by 20%. It will always be the LEON mission to serve food that is both good and good for you.”
LEON will also open in Europe for the first time this summer, and have picked Schiphol airport in Amsterdam as their first site.
John Vincent said: “At LEON we have always seen fast food as an international business and (like McDonalds back in 1971) have picked Amsterdam as the launch site for our European journey. I spent most of my childhood holidays in Holland so I’m very happy to be going back and reliving those happy memories. The Dutch are almost as funny as the English so we’ll have to keep our jokes as fresh as our food.”