LEON Managing Director Stuart Fitzgerald talks to us about a menu packed with healthy, flavoursome offerings, inspired by the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.
Tell us a little about the origins of LEON and your commitment to naturally fast food.
LEON was set up in 2004 by John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and chef Allegra McEvedy to make it easier for everyone to live well and eat well. We serve affordable food that tastes great and is kind to the planet.
In May 2019 we opened the first Irish LEON in Dublin’s tourist and cultural hub, Temple Bar. And in February 2020 we opened our 2nd restaurant, this time in the popular restaurant quarter, Millennium Walkway in Dublin’s city center.
What do you think makes the offerings at LEON so special?
We believe that fast food should be good food. We also believe that it must be kind to the planet. LEON restaurants are powered by sustainable energy and we continue to increase the number of plant-based dishes on our menu.
Our packaging is either compostable, biodegradable or recyclable which minimizes our carbon footprint.
The past eighteen months have proved hugely challenging for many businesses. How has working with Just Eat helped LEON to meet those challenges?
Our delivery partners Just Eat have been a great help to our business during the last 18 months. With our indoor and outdoor dining channels closed for so many months we strongly focused on the delivery side of the business. Just Eat has such a great reach to so many LEON Lovers, and that has really helped in what has been a crazy year for hospitality.
Plant-based options are increasingly popular now. How does LEON reflect that in its menu offerings?
The LEON menu is inspired by flavours and the natural healthiness of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. That means there’s lots of plants on our menu. Our dishes are flavoured naturally with fresh herbs and spices, we use nuts and seeds, olive oil, and fermented foods that actually help keep your gut healthy. We use ingredients that are seasonal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and are full of a wide variety of nutrients, good fats and fiber.
We have a great variety of plant-based menu items such as our LOVe Burger, Avocado and Halloumi burger, Brazilian Black Bean Hotbox and our Vegan Sweet Potato Falafel Hotbox. We are launching some exciting new plant-based options later this year.
In addition to vegetarian and vegan offerings, LEON also offers a great selection of burgers. If someone was to order from LEON on Just Eat for the first time, what would you recommend to them?
Oh, you have to try the LEON LOVe Burger, it’s vegan but probably one of the tastiest items on our menu. If you love meat though, our Chargrilled Chicken Burger uses succulent chicken thigh meat and is really popular with our guests and delivery customers.
What’s your own favourite item on the Just Eat menu?
Now that’s a difficult question! There are so many delicious items on the Just Eat menu. If I had to choose, I would go with either the LOVe Burger or the Chicken Satay Hotbox.
What areas in Dublin do you deliver to?
Food from LEON is available to order for delivery via Just Eat from our city centre store on Millennium Walkway.
We have recently expanded our delivery footprint taking in most of South County Dublin to include Donnybrook, Dun Laoghaire, Shankill, Blackrock, Churchtown, Dundrum and Clonskeagh.
Is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like readers to be aware of?
Yes, there’s lots happening. We plan to roll out many more LEON restaurants in the future, our next opening will take place in late August with our first out of town restaurant. More on this soon! The restaurant is in a great location and we are really looking forward to opening it.
As the seasons change, our menus change so we are introducing some great new items in the coming weeks. These include Chili Con Carne, Lemon and Olive Chicken Tagine, the Korean Chicken Burger and our famous LEON wraps.
As always, we have crafted fast food that tastes good, is kind to the planet, and makes you feel good inside.
You can now order from LEON for delivery to your door on the Just Eat app.
