Disagreement among a group of friends about what type of food they prefer to eat has led to the opening of a new £100,000 diner in Bradford. The venture has created more than a dozen full and part-time jobs.

Bradford businessman Abrar Shah has invested in the Fire It Up Amercian-style diner in Whetley Lane, Girlington, which aims to satisfy a wide range of tastes by serving food including traditional fish and chips, pizza, fried chicken, Asian food – except curry – and pannini sandwiches.

The new venue also incorporates a Shake It Up section serving more than 50 milk shakes along with a range of ice creams and desserts, including Belgian waffles.

The new restaurant was formally opened by new Bradford West MP George Galloway, who cut a celebratory cake decorated in his Respect Party colours.

The new diner marks the first venture into the food sector for former Bradford Grammar School student Mr Shah, who runs a Leeds-based property company. He has bought the three-storey building in which to create what he believes is a different kind of offering under one roof in the city.

Abrar, who lives in Heaton, said: “We have created an American diner of very high quality and service in an area which predominately has tired businesses and really could do with an uplift.

“The new diner is close to several local businesses, such as a bank, two health centres and solicitors offices and I hope to attract regular custom from their staff, along with people from the wider community.

“The idea for launching Fire It Up came as the result of regular arguments among my group of friends about what sort of restaurant to visit. Too often, it’s difficult to agree on what sort of food we want to eat, so I thought that by creating a diner serving a range of quality food, I would be able to satisfy a wide range of tastes.

“I’ve invested in quality fittings and materials to make the new restaurant attractive, and while it’s designed to appeal mainly to younger people, I’d hope to attract customers from all sections of society.”

Mr Shah said that if the Bradford venture proved successful, he would consider expanding the brand into a chain of US-style diners.

“I believe it’s a concept that will work well through providing an attractive location with a choice of food not always available at a single venue. We’ve had a great response so far and attracted more than 150 customers in the first few days of opening. I’m confident that the business will grow and that it will be possible to roll-out the concept further, which will create more new jobs.”