A LONG-STANDING Carlisle restaurant owner is selling up to spend more time with his family.

Abdul Harid has put his flagship Dhaka Tandoori restaurant, in Carleton Road, on the market after 22 years in charge.

The Carlisle businessman and city councillor for the Currock ward has also sold the Nowab on Lonsdale Street.

He will continue to run the Currymaster takeaway in John Street, Caldewgate, however, that is currently closed after the floods.

Mr Harid said he had already put the Nowab on the market and originally planned to refurbish the Dhaka.

However, the scale of the project changed his mind.

“I closed last June to refurbish. Originally I was going to do some work on it, to spruce it up a bit, but the building is very old and really needs a major revamp,” he explained.

“It was a difficult decision but I’ve decided to sell up. The business has been there since 1988 and I’ve ran it for 22 years.

“I have had a lot of loyal customers. Many are like family to me. But I’ve been in business for a long time and I decided it was time for a change.”

Mr Harid believes the site may be of interest to a housing developer.

With the building on the market, he is now waiting for the Nowab sale to be finalised and Currymaster to be repaired after the floods.

“I’m just spending some time with my family, concentrating on my city council role and looking at some other projects,” he added.

Mr Harid, who has been a city councillor since 2007, is originally from Bangladesh but moved to the UK as a youngster with his family.

He later moved from Oldham to Carlisle in 1993 and took over the running of the Dhaka. He and wife Nasima have three children, aged 18, 15 and six.

Mr Harid is also well-known for his work to promote multiculturalism across Carlisle, helping the city’s growing Bangladeshi population forge links with the wider community. 

It was this work that prompted fellow councillors to nominate him to attend the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2014.