Starter Kit. Idea 139 of 500. Cluster 6
A fine-dining Sri Lankan restaurant in London or New York aiming for a Michelin star, the flagship that makes the whole cuisine premium
The mechanism, from the book
Dilmah says it earns over 3 times the national average price for tea, because it does its own blending, branding and packing. The proof has been sitting inside the industry all along.
The first step
Write the menu first: 8 courses that tell the island's story, from hoppers to kithul, each made to a standard that would satisfy a critic. Cook it as a series of supper clubs in London or New York, charge a fine-dining price, and invite food writers to one of them. The bookings and the reviews are what you take to an investor.
- Who pays first
- A diner in London or New York who already pays for tasting menus and has never been offered Sri Lankan food at that level.
- What leaves today
- The cuisine is known abroad as cheap and cheerful, so every Sri Lankan food product on a foreign shelf sells at the bottom of the price range.
Ask first
- Sri Lanka Export Development Board. Ask whether they support Sri Lankan food businesses opening abroad.
Check before you spend
That the chef and staff can legally work there, that the lease and licences are in place, and that suppliers can deliver ingredients steadily.
Find out these three numbers
- What does a fine-dining room cost to open in that city?
- Which chef could aim for the standard?
- How many covers a night must it fill?
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.