Fish and chip restaurant chain Harry Ramsden's is cooking up a major expansion plan.

The company is working on a new flagship store in London's Piccadilly Circus which will seat between 150 and 250 people.

It will be the first of a series of city centre stores the company - which started life in a wooden hut in Guiseley - is planning to attract diners by foot, rather than by car.

But all will still offer a waiting-on service and everything else associated with Harry Ramsden shops.

Managing director Maurice Gammell said: "Its just another string to our bow."

Mr Gammell said the stores could be very attractive to tourists and shoppers.

"We would have a lot of possible footfall and could dispense with the parking there."

Next to come after the September opening of the central London restaurant - which is set to employ about 100 people - would be another in the revamped Bull Ring in Birmingham and another in Manchester.

"And if they are successful more will follow," Mr Gammell said.

The French-born managing director of the company, who moved to the UK at the age of 11 and says he is a regular eater of fish and chips, said the London base should be a great success for the company.

"People talking about tourism often mean people from abroad, but it can be domestic tourism and people from Guiseley and beyond will have an immediate association with Harry Ramsden's and something they are accustomed to." The business is also looking into expanding its name to the street corner.

Harry Ramsden's, which is owned by the massive Compass catering group, is in talks about launching franchises across the country.

"We will start to expand into your neighbourhood fish and chip shops - with all the quality standards that entails," Mr Gammell said.

But even if they are on every corner, Mr Gammell said the company will never stray far from the brand everyone knows it for.

"We are in the restaurant business and always will be," he said.

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