{"id":157966,"date":"2025-09-11T13:19:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=157966"},"modified":"2025-09-11T13:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:22:08","slug":"harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/","title":{"rendered":"Harpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by Malinda Seneviratne"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Harpo<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/malinda.seneviratne.7<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I first went to \u2018The Commons Coffeehouse\u2019 a few years now. I can\u2019t remember the first day but I think I must have purchased a \u2018Flat White.\u2019 That\u2019s what I\u2019ve always got there. Today, if I stop at the counter, this is the question that is invariably put to me: \u2018a flat white?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

They know, even though I don\u2019t always buy something. I mostly sit in some corner writing something or playing online chess. They don\u2019t mind. It\u2019s my place. It\u2019s everyone\u2019s place. A common ground. You can come, stay and leave. As you please.<\/span><\/p>\n

It took me a while to learn that Harpo Gunaratne owned the place. It took me even longer to learn that he\u2019s been running the place for 20 years. Somewhere along the way, we became friends. I\u2019ve written about him and his little restaurant that has more or less become my \u2018day home\u2019 on a few occasions, but I write now following an interview. Harpo turned 20. Sorry, Harpo the Restaurateur turned 20.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo was a brand long before Harpo the Restaurateur emerged from a corporate world where his hands were full of all things related to food, hospitality and entertainment. Today, as he celebrates 20 years as a restaurateur, Harpo can be justifiably proud about what he has achieved, although this self-effacing man talks and acts as though it\u2019s all an aggregate of day\u2019s well-lived doing what makes him happy, i.e. putting smiles on other people\u2019s faces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo has a name. Lalith Clarence Gooneratne. His family must have used it when he was a child, but he was re-christened, so to speak, as \u2018Harpo\u2019 by his father when he was but a toddler because he resembled Harpo Marx. That name stuck. It became a brand or rather; he turned it into a brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Harpo<\/p>\n

It all began when he and Gabo (Gamini Peiris) began Deejaying in the early 1980s, i.e. not too long after he left school. Young people in Colombo who loved music and dancing knew the duo. Harpo and Gabo made music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Music was a natural option for him since nothing inspires greater passion in him than people. Obviously the hospitality industry was the other natural option. Harpo knew the two went together and soon developed himself into what could be called the perfect and complete package.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having followed a three year course at the Claremont Hotel School, Harpo joined the Capri Club, in 1983. He hasn\u2019t stopped since and therefore counts more than 40 years of experience in the industry. In that 40 years literally hundreds of thousands of patrons have enjoyed the hospitality and entertainment of places like the Ramada Renaissance Hotel now known as Cinnamon Lakeside and where the famed \u2018Library Lounge and Music Room\u2019 was born, Hilton Colombo, Hilton Dalian (China), Hilton Osaka (Japan) and other mixed-development projects in Sri Lanka such as the World Trade Centre, Crescat Boulevard, & Millennium Theme Park. Harpo either managed or was consulted by such high-end entities in the corporate sector. The industry knows Harpo. The clientele simply enjoyed the fruit of his labor and that is what pleases him most.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Harpo<\/p>\n

So I sat him down at \u2018The Commons Coffeehouse,\u2019 the quaint hangout-plus-food place on Ernest de Silva Mawatha frequented by people of all ages, some of whom become regulars to the point that it\u2019s a \u2018must stop\u2019 in their daily routines. I\u2019ve seen Harpo often, especially in the mornings when he drops by to check on things. We exchange greetings or just nod in acknowledgement and sometimes talk for a few minutes. This was different. I wanted to know the why and how of it all. He ordered coffee and asked me if I needed anything else. A Flat White, as always, was good enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

I asked him why he moved away from what arguably was a comfortable gig, so to speak. Harpo has a simple response: \u2018I was done working for others.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

And he explained: \u2018I had already completed about 25 years in the corporate sector as an entertainer, hotelier, consultant etc., both local and foreign. My thing was to manage other people\u2019s headaches. So I decided to do my own thing.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Harpo Productions, now Harpo\u2019s Cafes and Restaurants, came into being and how Harpo became a full-time restaurateur.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018This was the first project. I simply managed and operated. About a year later the owner asked me, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you consider acquiring the brand?\u201d I knew the numbers. I knew the business. And I knew \u201cThe Commons.\u201d I agreed.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

It was, as he said, a functional coffee shop. The menu, the concept, the look and feel, this was all Harpo\u2019s thing. He laid it out. He tweaked it. He leveraged his best asset, the brand Harpo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Harpo<\/p>\n

Harpo was already a household name. The Commons was a \u2018family thing.\u2019 An ideal match.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018It was a first of a kind,\u2019 Harpo explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The dining industry had expanded and got varied. But this was unique at the time. People come, they know what they want, the staff sooner or later figures out what the particular customer needs and delivers it. It was casual food, but good food.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo is right. While the kitchen staff is understandably invisible for the most part, those at the counter and those who serve, including the security personnel, seem to have become permanent fixtures but with a friendly, warm and human countenance. They are known and they know.<\/span><\/p>\n

He acknowledged that the staff is a huge part of the brand\u2019s success story. He explained the low staff turnover as a product of the way things are done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s our culture: \u201clook after your people and they look after you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a year ago, a second outlet was opened in Pitakotte. But Harpo or rather Harpo\u2019s Cafes and Restaurants is not just a \u2018Commons\u2019 thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2005, Harpo opened The Bayleaf on what used to be called Gregory\u2019s Road and is now Srimath R. G. Senanayake Mawatha, one of the first stand-alone Italian restaurants which too he had been managing for a year before acquiring it.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are probably many who have never visited either of the two \u2018Commons\u2019 or The Bayleaf, many who have not been to Harpo\u2019s Euro Med restaurant, Colombo Fort Cafe, which he opened at the Dutch Hospital around 2010, again one of the earliest to serve such cuisine, and many who don\u2019t know about \u2018SHOULDERS,\u2019 a small unique Greek infused restaurant with an open kitchen in the promenade area of Havelock City which was launched in November 2023. They probably are unaware that Harpo has a property in Bengalaru, India, \u2018Salone Ceylon\u2019 which is a Sri Lankan fusion restaurant while selling among other things hoppers, \u2018presented differently,\u2019 as Harpo says. They wouldn\u2019t know that his first overseas venture was to take the pizza brand to the Maldives, way back in 2008, but had to pull out because \u2018it was a little too early for the Maldives.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

They would know the brand Harpo though if not for entertainment then for food, thanks to Harpo\u2019s Pizza.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Since I was making pizza anyway at The Bayleaf, it made sense to arrange home-delivery. I introduced the concept of wood fire in pizza making. This was in 2008. We initially started from The Bayleaf but now we have four other outlets Pitakotte, Wattala and Nugegoda. We were also the first to make Regular 9\u2033, Large 12\u2033, Gigantic 19\u2033 pizzas and the first square pizza, which is 22\u2033 across.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The names of these places tell a story. There\u2019s a common touch to The Commons. Well, that common touch signatures the other places as well, but they too have unique stories. Fort Cafe was obviously inspired by the location, but \u2018SHOULDERS \u2019 seems a direct draw from Harpo\u2019s philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a small place. So small that you keep knocking on shoulders. We say \u201csorry.\u201d And so people communicate. So people get to know one another, become familiar.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The Bayleaf\u2019 made sense on account of the type of cuisine, given that it alludes to Greek and Roman history and is a symbol of love, strength, courage and victory.<\/span><\/p>\n

The love was always there, but courage and strength were required in excess during those early days when an ongoing conflict could wreck anything and everything in the blink of an eye. Such qualities were also required in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, the Covid pandemic and the economic and political upheavals a few years later.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I started off at the height of the war. We invested at that time. We took a big risk. Also, it was just after the tsunami. So there were bombs and roadblocks. We took some big hits in the first four years or so, but we were strong as a brand. The name \u201cHarpo\u201d was known in the hotel, corporate and entertainment fields. I didn\u2019t have to create from scratch. Doors opened. Simply, people knew me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The most challenging times actually came later. We had to push through several crises. There was the parliamentary coup in 2018, the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, Covid and the economic crisis when there was no gas, petrol, diesel and electricity. But we survived because first of all the brand was strong and secondly, we had an amazing team of around 150 people who stood with and by me.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo\u2019s reasoning is remarkably simple: \u2018If there is a down, there has to be an up.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I stuck to my guns, people stuck with me, the team stuck together, we innovated, we made difficult decisions and had the courage to alter course when necessary. For example, I had to close down a hotel school in the South which I had run for about eight years, more as a CSR thing to introduce and groom young people to the hospitality industry.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo didn\u2019t start the world\u2019s first restaurant. Indeed, it wasn\u2019t he who opened Sri Lanka\u2019s first restaurant either. He won\u2019t be the last, that\u2019s for sure as well. And yet, originality seems to be Harpo\u2019s thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I am a daydreamer. I read, I look around and find what\u2019s missing.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s true. No one did pizza before he did. No one offered Italian cuisine before he did. There were no coffee shops before \u2018The Commons.\u2019 The Greek and Mediterranean restaurants were firsts. He\u2019s given us homemade pizza and all kinds of mouthwatering sauces. Who knows what else Harpo would get into next?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever it is, the underlying philosophy is unlikely to change. Harpo likes people to be comfortable. He is easygoing and creates spaces for the easygoing or simply makes it possible for the tense to shed their anxieties \u2014 he puts them at ease. So they come, they see, become comfortable and stay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019ve created spaces in Colombo for families, couples, executives and kids to come together,\u2019 he said. Even unemployed, underemployed or unemployable graduates, I might add. Anyway, it\u2019s generational. Kids who walked in with parents and ran around screaming their heads off later come with friends, lovers and business associates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The Commons\u2019 has got a new look, perhaps as part of the celebrations, but the feel is the same. Harpo is Harpo but he is acutely aware of changing times and circumstances and the need to adapt and innovate. He outlined the challenge thus:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The industry has a huge HR problem on its hands. We don\u2019t have enough and properly trained people coming out to service the traveler. Hospitality is a low-hanging fruit and gives us a lot of income. It\u2019s massive. We do have two-three schools but this is not enough. Hospitality management has to be part of the school curriculum. As a country, the private sector needs to get involved. It\u2019s a fast evolving trade. We need to understand that people come, work for a while, obtain the training and experience and then go overseas. How do we meet the demand? This is a question that all stakeholders need to address.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo does his part. He sets things rolling. He has faith in what the country and the people have and are so ready to offer:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s a surge in tourism. We are a lovely country; we have so many things to offer. We have more cafes and restaurants now. It\u2019s a growing sector.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s been competition of course, but as Harpo points out the brand has stood its ground and passed the test of time or rather changing times. He wants to franchise his brands. He believes that \u2018The Commons\u2019 is scalable and so too his pizza. He plans to set up a training\/grooming school in Jaffna.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo, at 20, is as curious as a child, as enthusiastic as a teen, as driven as someone stepping into an adult world and as wise as someone who\u2019s seen enough to be sober, unanimous and grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harpo is confident. He is confident about Sri Lanka. He believes that hospitality is a sleeping giant. He\u2019s waking it up. That\u2019s what he\u2019s being doing in his own way. Setting things in motion. ling through it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

—\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Commons Coffee House<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Click here to receive your free copy of the eLanka Newsletter twice a week delivered directly\u00a0to\u00a0your\u00a0inbox!<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/malinda.seneviratne.7 I first went to \u2018The Commons Coffeehouse\u2019 a few years now. I can\u2019t remember the first day but I think I must have purchased a \u2018Flat White.\u2019 That\u2019s what I\u2019ve always got there. Today, if I stop at the counter, this is the question that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":157967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-157966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nHarpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by Malinda Seneviratne - eLanka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sri Lankan restaurateur Harpo Gunaratne marks 20 years in the industry with The Commons Coffee House, The Bayleaf, Harpo\u2019s Pizza, and more iconic dining ventures.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Harpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by Malinda Seneviratne\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sri Lankan restaurateur Harpo Gunaratne marks 20 years in the industry with The Commons Coffee House, The Bayleaf, Harpo\u2019s Pizza, and more iconic dining ventures.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-11T13:19:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-11T13:22:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-\u2013-by-Malinda-Seneviratne1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"Harpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by Malinda Seneviratne\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-11T13:19:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-11T13:22:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/\"},\"wordCount\":2253,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-\u2013-by-Malinda-Seneviratne1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/harpo-the-irrepressible-restaurateur-turns-20-by-malinda-seneviratne\/\",\"name\":\"Harpo the irrepressible restaurateur turns 20 \u2013 by Malinda Seneviratne - 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