Zouk planning international expansion

Amjad Bashir, who runs the award-winning Zouk Tea Bar and Grill in Leeds Road, Bradford, with his sons Mudassar and Tayub, also revealed he expects to open restaurants in Liverpool and London soon.

The company, founded in 2006, currently has two restaurants – in Bradford and Manchester.

Mr Bashir said: "Bradford's restaurants are a beacon of hope – (they) have become national brands. We as a family have been out to Bahrain, Milan, the US and Turkey. We are looking at these sites to develop abroad.

"We are very close to setting up international operations. We are trying to team up with the right partners. We are not only looking at the financial side of what people are going to put in, but also their passion for the industry."

Mr Bashir, who was born in the Punjab and couldn't speak a word of English when he arrived in Britain as an eight-year-old in 1960, has flown out to Pakistan to help provide aid following floods which have left millions of people homeless.

Mr Bashir predicted Bradford's business community could raise 30,000 to help people affected.