Peter Wu, The Chinese Buffet, Bridge Street, Bolton

PETER Wu’s parents guided him into a university course in a bid to steer him away from the traditional Chinese route into the restaurant trade.

But after forging a successful career he was drawn into the restaurant business when he spotted a gap in the market and thought: “I could do better than that.”

Since then he has not looked back and has helped guide the Bolton-based Chinese Buffet to success in Bolton and in Wigan.

Operating its “all you can eat at a fixed price” policy, Mr Wu appears to have the right balance between price and quality of food, judging by the numbers of customers who visit the Chinese Buffet in Bridge Street every week.

Now the enterprising businessman is looking to expand the Chinese Buffet into a North West chain and, ultimately, wants to go national.

Within the next five years he wants to create a branded chain of up to 18 Chinese Buffet restaurants and also plans to introduce an express version in major city centres. Mr Wu, aged 31, who lives in Little Lever, said: “Bolton was our first restaurant and we have a second, bigger one in Wigan, where we also plan to start a food production line so we can have quality control for food, taste and sauces and so on. We are also negotiating to open a third Chinese Buffet.”

He will eventually rename The Chinese Buffet as TCB and he hopes his express versions will compete with the likes of Subway and other fast food places in city centres.

Mr Wu hopes his production line will eventually supply the whole restaurant chain and, in the long term, he wants to rollout the brand nationally.

In the future, he would also like to see TCB foods and sauces on supermarket shelves.