A fast expanding buffet chain is to open a £750,000 restaurant in Huddersfield creating up to 50 new jobs.

The Chinese Buffet is currently converting the former Peter’s department store in King Street into a stylish 250-seater restaurant.

It will be the Bolton-based chain’s 11th restaurant and is expected to open at the end of the month.

One of the two partners behind the company, Peter Wu, 37, studied business information technology at the University of Huddersfield in the late 1990s and lived in the town for almost 10 years.

He and business partner Paolo Hu set up The Chinese Buffet in Bolton in 2006.

Peter, formerly of Almondbury, said he was excited to come back and added: “The Huddersfield restaurant will be our best yet.

“We have made lots of design improvements and we learn with every new restaurant we open.”

The latest restaurant – on the first floor – will have a fully open kitchen, two bars and a balcony dining area for the summer.

An artist's impression showing dining booths in the interior of the new The Chinese Buffet restaurant in King Street, Huddersfield.

Diners can sit in booths with bench-style seating and are encouraged to watch chefs prepare their food.

There will also be a separate function room with a capacity of 80-100 people with a private bar, karaoke and business conference facilities.

The chain, which employs 350 people and has restaurants in Wakefield and Bradford, will also be launching a new menu which will be rolled out from Huddersfield. It also plans to review its wine list.

Paolo said: “We want to create an energy and a buzz and we expect to be really busy serving 3,000 to 4,000 customers a week.

New Chinese buffet restaurant to open in former Peter's store

“Chinese restaurants used to be about who could be the cheapest. They were canteen-like and the service was poor.

“We’ve changed all that and while we still offer good value for money, the design is important and our service is a la carte.”

While the food is buffet-style there will be more choice of dishes cooked to order by the chefs.

The chain is about to start recruitment for the new restaurant and expects 35 to 50 jobs to be created.

They want a truly local management team and are keen to find the best staff.

“We would love to have Huddersfield people working for us,” said Paolo. “That makes the team local and more solid.

“The key requirements we are looking for are commitment, dedication and energy.”

The restaurant is also looking for a local charity to support.

It is the latest boost to Huddersfield’s dining scene after last week’s opening of Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay at the bottom of King Street.