Much of Soho to our west is currently suffering with a power cut, leaving officies emptying onto the street, restaurants closed for business and an eerie feeling about the place.

A bad day for business you would think. However, I received an unexpected email from the Leon healthy fast food restaurant in Carnaby Street. It explained their dilemma:

"The power in and around us here at our Carnaby Street restaurant is down. Electricity, it has been confirmed today, plays a useful role in our restaurant. We can’t open as normal, but want to make sure you don’t go without. We have the where-with-all (is that the word?) to make sixty packed lunches, and we want to take care of you."

A nice way to notify their regulars as to the problem and a great way of making them, and me, feel special and more loyal. In the interests of 'research', I went down with the email in my hand as instructed and claimed one of the 60 free salads and piece of cake and fruit. Delicious.

No doubt they had already made the salads, but the generosity to add cake and fruit turned it into a neat piece of marketing and a great way of making the best of a bad circumstance.

I'll be back when the power's back on.