The firm’s scheme had allowed subscribers to get up to five coffees a day
A coffee chain with 70 locations is axing its ‘free coffee’ subscription service – despite it being labelled the ‘best’ in the UK. Leon has been running a Roast Rewards scheme allowed subscribers to claim as many as five free coffees a day for £25 a month.
But the Telegraph reports that the firm has had to scrap the subscription after baristas were unable to keep up with the number of drinks they had to make. The Roast Rewards scheme has been saving members 20 per cent on food – and has been described by one journalist as “Britain’s best coffee subscription”.
Its coffee offer of five a day does mean drinks have to be at least an hour apart. But that is now set to come to an end. One user on X – @james_cafc – summed up what many will be feeling by saying simply: “Noooooooooooooo!”
John Vincent, the chain’s founder, has reportedly announced that the scheme will end on January 1. The Telegraph reports that he claimed baristas were struggling to keep up with orders.
The paper cited an email reportedly issued to a few of the “most loyal Leon supporters”, Mr Vincent reportedly said the subscription was “getting in the way” of quality.
He reportedly wrote: “Two weeks ago, I returned to Leon, having sold the company back in May 2021. A lot has changed at Leon since then, and not all the changes have been positive. Although Leon is clearly a business, owning Leon and looking after guests like you is a deeply personal endeavour. Helping people enjoy the natural health that is rightfully theirs is what I get most joy from.
“I aspire to return Leon to being a leader in food, and to re-establish quality as our number one priority. Our coffee subscription, Roast Rewards, is getting in the way of this mission.
“As a result, I have decided to bring it to an end. My decision is, I believe, the right thing for our guests, our teams, and the quality of the coffee we serve.”
A spokesman later said the firm would 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”.
They added: “Removal of Roast Rewards is part of John Vincent’s 108 initiative ‘to bring harmony back to everything we do’. The number 108 symbolises balance and wholeness, which is what Leon is striving for: harmony in its food, its teams, and the planet.” They claimed staff would be enrolled in Wing Tsun training, a martial art, to improve coffee-making times “while lowering heart rates”.
Leon said all current Roast Rewards subscribers will get a gift of Leon Club loyalty points when the subscription stops.
In 2024, Josh Kirby of the Telegraph said the Leon service was “Britain’s best coffee subscription”. He said it was far better than Pret’s scheme, in place at the time, and noted: “Not only do I get up to five free coffees a day, but I can also get a rice, salad box or burger with waffle fries and a drink free of charge when I spend just £5.”
Other such subscription schemes have also been halted. In 2024, Pret a Manger axed its “free drinks” for subscribers.
