The move comes as the healthy fast-food group says it will be letting go of processes that make daily operations more difficult for its teams, ‘which have in turn affected the big warm welcome it was once famous for’.
Removal of Roast Rewards is part of Leon co-founder John Vincent’s 108 initiative, ‘to bring harmony back to everything we do’, and comes weeks after Vincent bought back the business in a bid to return it to its core values.
The number 108 is said to symbolises balance and wholeness, which is what Vincent says he is striving for at Leon.
“I want to bring Leon back to its original purpose and remove all the parts that don’t feel like Leon anymore,” he says.
“For me, that means getting back to serving food and coffee that’s good for you, good for our teams, and good for the planet. Coffee is a big part of that, but the subscription has driven a level of volume our teams are struggling to keep up with.
“It’s affected their day-to-day, and it’s affected your experience too. We will return to the famous LEON welcome, the shorter waits, and the feeling that we have time for you.
“Ending Roast Rewards allows us to put our attention where it needs to be - which is putting quality back at the heart of the business and becoming pioneers on the high street again.”
Leon launched Roast Rewards, where for £25 a month subscribers receive up to five barista-made drinks a day along with a 20% discount on certain food products, in May 2024 at a time when rival Pret a Manger operated a similar subscription scheme.
At the time it was described as “the UK’s most affordable coffee subscription” by Leon managing director Mac Plumpton.
Pret’s own subscription model, Club Pret, is still offered although it has undergone a number of different iterations over the past few years.
‘Care, craft and consistency’
Leon says it is now instead ‘shifting its focus back to care, craft and consistency’ and is re-investing in barista talent, with a renewed focus on training.
Vincent will re-instate his barista Wing Tsun training, an ancient martial arts course he previously rolled out across the business, which demonstrated faster and less stressful coffee preparation - cutting 30 seconds off the time to make six perfect coffees - while lowering heart rates.
The company is also reinvesting in coffee innovation, with a number of launches scheduled for 2026, including functional coffees.
Leon also expected to overhaul its food offer in the coming months, with Vincent taking to social media to announce the move. “Clearly, I’ve got to transform the menu. I’ve got to create a very action-focused culture,” he says. “I’ve got to make the joyful, everyday routines more fun.”
All current Roast Rewards subscribers will receive Leon Club loyalty points when the subscription comes to an end.