Page 30 - Iconic Restaurateurs - The Entrepreneur Mag Ed. 3

Feature

For many of Colombo’s night owls and party people, Sheran De Fonseka’s name
is one that is all too familiar. Being the entrepreneur behind the formation

of many of the island’s go-to party venues, Sheran has established quite the
empire with a range of unique and quirky venues, each displaying a persona

of their own. To find out more about the establishment, challenges and future
developments involved with operating in such a space, we spoke to the

nightlife king for more insight.

A chat with Sri Lanka’s
undisputed How did you first get into this industry? industry. Finding the right caliber of people to represent our brand
name and signature style is something that we strive for in order to
It was an idea that my brother and I came across when we were
maintain the quality of standards at all our establishments. Staying
in Dubai. We wanted to introduce that ideology to Sri Lanka as
relevant is something that we work towards and fear as I’m sure
well with Flamingo House, Monkey Business, KAMA Mirissa and
everyone in this industry will tell you. Innovation is something
Midigama and Skky Bar and Lounge.
people come looking for when they visit our establishments and we
You are involved with the operations and
need to make sure we never disappoint in order to stay relevant.
management of many of Sri Lanka’s nightlife
However, the constant modifications in state rule make our goals
night life hotspots. Please list out for us the entities you are daunting due to the lack of encouragement for entrepreneurs in this
involved with and what functions you overlook
industry to pursue and invest in.
I co-own Flamingo House, Monkey Business, KAMA Mirissa and
Does each venue cater to different customer
Midigama, which are located around the island, and we are also
king
segments?
in the process of re- launching one of our old well-known brands,
Yes. We wanted to make sure that our brands cater to all customer
SKKY bar in Nawam Mawatha as well. The business entails a lot of
micromanaging and requires investing our time and commitment
experience of what we have to offer, and that is something we can
to making sure the day to day operation runs evenly. However, the
confidently say we have more than accomplished.
most essential part of our operation is dealing with our suppliers segments in the country in order to give the people an all-round
on a day to day basis and maintaining this close bond between
Some say that nightlife in Colombo is more or less the
organizations.
same wherever you go. Is this true? Tell us about some
What are the challenges of operating in this industry? differences seen across your venues.
Obtaining a liquor license is the initial challenge we must face Precisely why we have invented our venues based on a variety
before we can introduce our brand to the public, also providing of themes. We wanted no two places to be the same and in doing
entrepreneurs the opportunity to obtain banking facilities in a more so, this gave us the opportunity to expand our levels of creativity
convenient manner since the government tends to misunderstand to better attract our new and current followers. We try to always
the impact which the entertainment industry has on the tourism implement new ideas into our establishments

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