Tributes paid after death of founder Shabir Hussain

A businessman who founded a chain of curry restaurants and is said to have invented the ‘hanging naan’ has died aged 56.

Shabir Hussain founded Akbar’s restaurant in Bradford in 1995, before later expanding to cities including Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Following the announcement of his death, Akbar’s said all its restaurants would be closed on Wednesday and Thursday as a result.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Shabir Hussain, founder of Akbar’s Restaurant Group,” the chain posted on social media.

“All restaurants will now be closed and will reopen on Friday at 17:00 BST.

“Please remember Shabir Hussain in your prayers. May Allah (SWT) grant him the highest rank in Jannah and bring peace and strength to his family during this difficult time.”

In an interview earlier this year, Mr Hussain claimed to have invented a vertical metal stand with hooks to hold large naan breads as a business move.

Speaking to the CEO Club podcast, the restaurateur said: “I’m the guy who invented the naan tree – my biggest regret is I could have patented it.

“It’s actually now used everywhere by everybody.”

Mr Hussain went on to say he approached a metal worker friend and told him he wanted to serve large naan breads he had seen in Birmingham.

Serving side orders of that size would mean he would have to make his tables bigger, therefore reducing the number of covers at the restaurant.

“The idea was to build a heavy base so it doesn’t fall over, bring it upwards and in the beginning there was only hooks on one side,” he told the podcast.

“Now we put hooks on both sides so you can hang two naans on it.”

He concluded: “Really it was a space-saver, I didn’t know it would turn into a craze – people started coming to the restaurant just to see it.”

Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of Mr Hussain’s passing, adding that he was “someone who we will all miss dearly”.

Posting on X, she added: “A huge loss to his family and the world of business, not just in Bradford but across the UK as his brand reached many cities.

“His entrepreneurial triumph was exporting the best of Bradford’s curry scene throughout the country.”

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