What defines a successful Christmas menu? For LEON, it’s not just about capturing the magic of the season—it’s about pushing boundaries.
While staying true to the brand’s ethos of Naturally Fast Food, under the leadership of Director of Food Erica Molyneaux, LEON’s holiday offerings have become something of a high street tradition in the UK, delivering everything from plant-forward wraps to globally inspired turkey curries.
But not every idea is a successful one.
“The 2019 set-menu Christmas dinner was a valuable learning experience for us,” Molyneaux admits. “While it allowed us to explore new ways to bring our festive menu to guests, it ultimately moved too far from our core mission.
“LEON is known for being a place where guests can enjoy high-quality, nutritious meals quickly, without the formality of a sit-down, candlelit dinner experience. The set menu created a bit of confusion for our guests.”
Still, the brand, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, didn’t have too much to worry about. Its festive menus have long been a seasonal highlight of its customers, combining British traditions with unexpected global twists.
“For us, innovation starts with a clear focus on guest needs. Christmas is all about indulgence, and we know our guests look for treat dishes and heartier, more festive options this time of year.”
LEON categorizes its festive offerings into two key areas: classic indulgence and global flavors with a festive twist. This strategy balances traditional and novel elements. Guests seeking classic festive comfort foods may prefer the company’s Christmas Cracker Wrap, while those opting for more adventurous options could be drawn to the Turkey Christmassaman curry, which combines both British nostalgia (the bizarrely classic leftover turkey Boxing Day curry) and bold flavors.
“Ultimately, if an idea aligns with a core seasonal need—whether it’s indulgence, nostalgia, or discovery—it has a much greater chance of success. This insight-driven focus allows us to take creative risks while still giving guests the festive experiences they love.”
A selection of LEON’s 2024 Christmas drinks
These days, LEON keeps a close eye on evolving tastes, monitoring guest feedback, market insights, and broader cultural shifts to help ideate and test new items. “We religiously track feedback through an aggregator platform that consolidates all responses,” Molyneaux explains. “Guests can select the specific dish they tried and provide detailed feedback, giving us precise insights into how each menu item has landed. A perfect example of this is our approach to our Christmas Wrap, which last year contained turkey marinated in a Miso-Porcini gravy. While the gravy was rich and delicious, we received feedback that the mushroom flavor was a bit too bold for some guests.”
The insight prompted LEON to adjust the recipe this year, switching to a more balanced miso-butter marinade—a subtle but impactful tweak which delivers a twist while making the flavor profile more accessible.
LEON has also pioneered plant-forward holiday dishes, like the Christmas Falafel Wrap, which outsold the traditional turkey wrap as soon as it launched back in 2017. “It was a first for the high street—a bold departure from the usual festive offerings, and the positive response confirmed that we were on to something. Since then, we’ve observed a clear shift among our guests, who are increasingly looking to incorporate more fiber and plant diversity into their diets throughout the year.”
Of course, the Turkey Christmassaman curry is a firm favorite, giving impatient Brits the opportunity to indulge in marinated turkey, roast potatoes, and carrots, all enveloped in a rich coconut sauce and topped with crispy onions, long before Boxing Day arrives. “In a competitive holiday market, we knew we needed to offer more than just the standard turkey sandwich.”
From a business perspective, festive menus play a key role in LEON’s strategy. Seasonal dishes are heavily promoted across stores, driving footfall and attracting new customers while providing loyal customers with something to look forward to. And the insights gained extend well beyond the holidays.
“Not every innovation lands perfectly, but each attempt brings valuable insights and fuels future successes. Many of our current main menu dishes and returning favorites started as experimental items, proving that innovation isn’t just about the immediate return—it builds our long-term menu and brand identity.”
LEON’s festive wrap
LEON’s ability to stay nimble, creative, and connected to its guests is not to be overlooked from a strategic standpoint, either. The high-street dining sector has faced mounting challenges in recent years, and LEON has not been immune. While the brand continues to champion festive innovation and Naturally Fast Food, its financial struggles underscore the importance of attracting and retaining customers during key trading periods, like Christmas.
After a particularly troubling Covid-19 period for the business, LEON’s net loss decreased by 15.8% to £12.5m year-on-year, showing signs of improvement despite the ongoing challenges of post-pandemic book-balancing, the cost-of-living crisis, and more. Total revenue from owned sites, franchise royalties, and license income increased to £64.9m, up from £52.2m in 2022 during this time, while gross profit rose from £33.4m to £41.9m.
Though it may seem small, festive menus play a critical role in driving these gains by exciting diners and enticing new customers to explore high-street food once again. For LEON, the Christmas season isn’t just about nostalgia or indulgence—it’s a chance to spark joy, draw diners back to the high street, and show how food can create traditions that last far beyond the holidays.