The Dynamo of Dinemore

Very few may know the story of Dinemore, one of the most popular semi-fast food restaurants in Sri Lanka, entirely home-grown with a global footprint. Very few may know that one man’s ambition to start his restaurant spurred the eating-out culture in Sri Lanka and saw the‘submarine’ finally land on our plates. When M S M Rishard started Dinemore in 1997, he had a mission to serve the entire country, every Sri Lankan, provide the space for shared company and conversations, meet friends, and enjoy cheerful night outs. His long and untiring journey of 27 years ago is inspiring. The hands-on leader and multitasker who led from the front, cooked, served, and opened the door to patrons knew the ropes of his business inside and out. Speaking with Business Today, he described his journey to success, his constant desire to learn and grow, investing in quality and giving value for money, his desire for every Sri Lankan to savor the pleasure of dining out, and how his business has become a valuable entity contributing to the country’s reserves and generating employment by prioritizing its investment decisions for maximum gains and sustainability.

- Jennifer Paldano Goonewardane

Can you tell us the Dinemore story?

At 22, I started from a junior position for a star-rated hotel in the Middle East. As a young man, I had a dream. I dreamt of opening a restaurant of mine within eight years. I set out to realize my vision as a young man by embarking on a learning journey. Hence, rather than confine myself to waiting at tables, I would go into the kitchen to learn cooking and its operational aspects. As an aspiring restauranteur, I should possess cooking skills. The turning point came when I joined Shakey's Pizza, an American pizza restaurant chain. It was a fantastic learning opportunity. Even today, the American fast-food industry is unmatched and the best in the world. They have a very different approach to management and operations. Shakey's describes their staff as the crew rather than employees who receive training in restaurant management, from kitchen operations to administration.

The American fast food industry hires mostly school leavers willing to learn and moldable without much resistance. Remarkably, the American fast food industry doesn't compartmentalize their staff into specialists, such as a separate staff to operate the kitchen, who would only know working within the confines of the kitchen. Instead, they hire a team whose members receive training in the kitchen, in cleaning, cashiering, and service delivery, thereby ensuring that skills and expertise do not belong to specific groups. That way, no crew member becomes indispensable. Shakey's Pizza hired me as a 24-year-old and put me through an all-encompassing comprehensive training regimen, from work in the kitchen to cleaning the toilets to handling administration. Eventually, I became a trainer of new crew members.