Fast food franchisee Duncan Taylor has seen sales at his three Bradford McDonald’s restaurants increase by nearly ten per cent and has added 30 staff to his local operations in the past 12 months.

And he is looking to grow further, expecting to add more recruits to his 200-plus Bradford workforce at McDonald’s outlets in Kirkgate, Forster Square retail park and at Thornbury, in which he has invested £1 million.

Mr Taylor, who also has two McDonald’s franchises in Sheffield, is looking for opportunities to expand by buying franchises should they become available – and would like to see McDonald’s open in the Westfield retail mall, although that would be a decision for the US-based company itself.

The entrepreneur, who has previously expressed his belief in Bradford’s economic potential, said: “Sales at all the Bradford sites has continued to grow between five and nine per cent and we’ve increased staff numbers by around ten per cent. I’m looking to add another 15 people this year.

“Although, due to the economic climate, some people are spending less, we’ve increased the volume of customers at each site.

“People are increasingly attracted by the much wider range of food and drink we well. McDonald’s is no longer just about burgers.

“For instance, we are now the largest seller of coffee on the UK High Street- outselling the national coffee shop brands.”

The recent horsemeat scandal had not affected trade.

He said: “McDonald’s has not been affected. We voluntarily provided samples of all beef burgers currently available on our menu to the Food Standards Agency for their own tests and we can confirm that no horse meat has been found in any of McDonald’s products.

“We have built a first-class supply chain over almost 40 years, based on long-term relationships with our trusted suppliers.

“Our beef supply chain is short and transparent and has just five steps from the farms through to the food we serve in our restaurants.”

Mr Taylor said working at McDonald’s was not a ‘dead end’ job. He said: “This is a business that offers real career potential for young people who may not be academic but are bright and eager to learn and develop their people skills.

“Some people may look down on working at McDonald’s, but I’m looking to provide people with a long-term career through skills development and.management training for satiable candidates.

“We recruit both apprentices and graduates and train them.”