Proud Burnley restaurateur receives Mayor's honour for four decades of service

Mr Abdul Majeed, the respected and popular owner of Aroma Asian Restaurant in Church Street, came to Burnley aged 21 and opened his first restaurant, the Koh-i-Noor in Manchester Road in 1979 with his uncle.

in 1987, Mr Majeed forged his own path and opened the Shalamar Tandoor restaurant in Church Street which was renamed Aroma after an extensive refurbishment in 2007.

And now after decades of serving generations of the same families as loyal customers, Mr Majeed has been honoured with a medal and certificate, presented at Burnley Town Hall by the Mayor of Burnley, Coun. Mark Townsend.

Mr Majeed (63) said: “It is a huge achievement, I feel very humble and proud. I have received lots of congratulations from friends, family and customers on social media and in person so I am very grateful.”

He went on to thank his loyal customers, many of whom have passed their love of his food and service down to their children and their children over the decades.

"Incredibly, I am now serving generations of the same families who have been so loyal to me over the years,” he added.

"I would like to dedicate this award to them but also my staff, past and present, who have helped me throughout the decades. I am proud to receive this award because Burnley is my home and my town.”

Aroma, which regularly hosts charity fund-raisers, will next Tuesday be hosting a fund-raising dinner for Burnley Guide Dogs for the Blind.