McDonald’s Bradford franchisee Saj Shah on City of Culture bid

Saj Shah, 52, owns and operates three McDonald’s restaurants in Bradford's Rooley Lane, Ingleby Road and Bramley after he initially started working for the chain in Bradford as a crew member aged 16.

After 18 months of working in Bradford city centre, Saj was promoted and continued to work for McDonald’s into his adult life. He was in the restaurants for over a decade before moving to a head office role.

His father, Tazal Shah, created a life for himself in Bradford after arriving as a Pakistani immigrant in the 1950s with ‘just the shirt on his back’.

Saj supports Bradford’s City of Culture 2025 bid, saying there are parallels between the city and McDonald’s.

The Ingleby Road McDonald's, which is run by Saj Shah, has just undergone a revamp and was reopened in 2019 by then Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Doreen Lee

He said: “Bradford is the definition of a culturally diverse city, we have a lot to offer and a lot of people and communities with a lot of stories to tell.

“I hope that when the City of Culture is announced we can really show the rest of the UK what makes Bradford so special – the people. We have a lot be proud of.

“The bid for city of culture reminds me a lot of McDonald’s; the diversity, the chance for opportunity and improving social mobility for all.”

Saj revealed how working for McDonald’s has changed over the last 37 years.

He added: “I’ve seen so many changes over the years, but one thing remains constant - people. Whether it’s our staff or customers, they are the beating heart of the McDonald’s business.

“In recent years, we’ve made changes to the restaurant to improve the customer experience (self-service kiosks, tablets, kitchen layout). The future is exciting.”

Saj says his ambition is to be the franchisee of every McDonald’s branch in Bradford in the future.

He said: “I started as a McDonald’s franchisee in 2015, taking on my first restaurant in Bramley.

“In 2016, I purchased the restaurant in Ingleby and then just before the pandemic hit, I got Rooley Lane.

“In the future, I’d like to operate all of Bradford’s restaurants including the city centre store, the restaurant I started in, then I will feel as though I have come full circle.

“Ambition is a core belief of mine and I recognise how fortunate I am to be able to now give the opportunity I had as a young boy to others in my community.”