Ajith Jayawickrema's guest appearances

Ajith Jayawickrema

How I Grew My Brand

The Disruptive Restaurateur - Restaurant Success

The Start-Up Hub

Paul Barham

Richard Dickson

Steve Moore

Gary Goodman

Adam Brown

Deliciously Ella

Cassandra Stavrou

Loui Blake

Julian Hearn

Myles Hopper

Giles Humphries

Andrew Clarke

Nicola Elliott

Orlebar Brown

Rob McMillan

OwlTail

Creating one successful restaurant brand – literally from scratch - would be a feather in anyone’s entrepreneurial cap. Ajith Jayawickrema has done it twice.Las Iguanas, where he cut his teeth as a young entrepreneur alongside business partner Eren Ali with a shared dream and a £10,000 bank loan, is still trading strongly under its current owners some 20 years on. His second brainchild – Turtle Bay – brings Caribbean food and drink culture to the mainstream. It has grown from a single site to 44 restaurants in under a decade.Peter Martin talks to Ajith about that journey. From the first spark of inspiration (Leona Lewis – yes really) to the fully fledged concept blending experiential, immersive venues with great flavours, on-trend cocktails and reggae beats that transport rain-soaked Brits to the Caribbean “without the cost of a plane ticket”.  But it’s not all been sunshine and parties. The back story is one of resilience, hard work, and property, funding and people challenges. But Ajith remains full of optimism. His dream is far from over as he steers the business to the next level – and it’s a dream he’s passionate to share.----------ABOUT OUR GUESTAjith Jayawickrema A dedicated and highly successful entrepreneur and manager with a proven track record in highly focused business growth in competitive environments.----------This series of podcasts is sponsored by Bird &amp; Bird and Zonal [https://www.zonal.co.uk/]The Peach podcast is always free to listen to. To find us search Peach 20/20 The Start-Up Hub on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or in any app that supports podcasts! All of our podcasts will be uploaded to our YouTube Channel Now don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our future episodes!----------LinksBird &amp; Bird:  https://www.twobirds.com/Zonal:  https://www.zonal.co.uk/Peach 20/20 Youtube:  https://bit.ly/Peach2020_YT

Creating one successful restaurant brand – literally from scratch - would be a feather in anyone’s entrepreneurial cap. Ajith Jayawickrema has done it twice.Las Iguanas, where he cut his teeth as a young entrepreneur alongside business partner Eren Ali with a shared dream and a £10,000 bank loan, is still trading strongly under its current owners some 20 years on. His second brainchild – Turtle Bay – brings Caribbean food and drink culture to the mainstream. It has grown from a single site to 44 restaurants in under a decade.Peter Martin talks to Ajith about that journey. From the first spark of inspiration (Leona Lewis – yes really) to the fully fledged concept blending experiential, immersive venues with great flavours, on-trend cocktails and reggae beats that transport rain-soaked Brits to the Caribbean “without the cost of a plane ticket”.  But it’s not all been sunshine and parties. The back story is one of resilience, hard work, and property, funding and people challenges. But Ajith remains full of optimism. His dream is far from over as he steers the business to the next level – and it’s a dream he’s passionate to share.----------ABOUT OUR GUESTAjith Jayawickrema A dedicated and highly successful entrepreneur and manager with a proven track record in highly focused business growth in competitive environments.----------This series of podcasts is sponsored by Bird &amp; Bird and Zonal [<a href="https://www.zonal.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.zonal.co.uk/</a>]The Peach podcast is always free to listen to. To find us search Peach 20/20 The Start-Up Hub on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or in any app that supports podcasts! All of our podcasts will be uploaded to our YouTube Channel Now don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our future episodes!----------LinksBird &amp; Bird: <a href="https://www.twobirds.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.twobirds.com/</a>Zonal: <a href="https://www.zonal.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.zonal.co.uk/</a>Peach 20/20 Youtube: <a href="https://bit.ly/Peach2020_YT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/Peach2020_YT</a>

02. Caribbean Dreaming with Ajith Jayawickrema from Turtle Bay

Episode 19 - Jon, The Disruptive Restaurateur, speaks to Ajith Jayawickrema, founder of Las Iguanas &amp; Turtle Bay Restaurants. A trailblazer in the industry this highly insightful interview goes through how Ajif created and developed 2 of the most successful restaurant chains in the last 30 years. Hope you enjoy this podcast. Thanks for listening... Check out Jon's Website - www.outsaucedconsultancy.co.uk Social: Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedisruptiverestaurateur Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonbutler76 Or send Jon an email at jon@outsaucedconsultancy.co.uk

Episode 19 - Jon, The Disruptive Restaurateur, speaks to Ajith Jayawickrema, founder of Las Iguanas &amp; Turtle Bay Restaurants. A trailblazer in the industry this highly insightful interview goes through how Ajif created and developed 2 of the most successful restaurant chains in the last 30 years. Hope you enjoy this podcast. Thanks for listening... Check out Jon's Website - <a href="http://www.outsaucedconsultancy.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.outsaucedconsultancy.co.uk</a> Social: Join the Facebook Group:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedisruptiverestaurateur" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedisruptiverestaurateur</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ourweekinvideo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/jonbutler76</a> Or send Jon an email at <a href="mailto:jon@outsaucedconsultancy.co.uk">jon@outsaucedconsultancy.co.uk</a>

The Disruptive Restaurateur - Ajith Jayawickrema, Founder Las Iguanas & Turtle Bay Restaurants - Interview

Mary Nightingale

How I Grew My Brand: The Piper Podcast Season 1: Turtle Bay founder Ajith Jayawickrema, who moved to the UK from Sri Lanka at the age of 15, has revealed how singer Leona Lewis unknowingly inspired him to launch his highly successful Caribbean restaurant chain.Interviewed by Journalist and ITV News Presenter, Mary Nightingale, How I Grew My Brand is a series of one-on-one podcast interviews with inspiring, high-profile British founders and brand leaders.From Pitcher &amp; Piano to Monica Vinader, Piper has been helping to build and support brands for nearly 40 years. In each interview we dig into ‘7, 17, 70’, the three critical stages Piper believes businesses will encounter, whether that be number of employees, sales or sites. These moments are where changes and challenges can be overcome on the path to becoming a brand legend, a business with purpose and vision that makes people’s lives healthier, happier and more fulfilling, while helping them minimise their impact on the environment.

How I Grew My Brand: The Piper Podcast Season 1: Turtle Bay founder Ajith Jayawickrema, who moved to the UK from Sri Lanka at the age of 15, has revealed how singer Leona Lewis unknowingly inspired him to launch his highly successful Caribbean restaurant chain. Interviewed by Journalist and ITV News Presenter, Mary Nightingale, How I Grew My Brand is a series of one-on-one podcast interviews with inspiring, high-profile British founders and brand leaders. From Pitcher &amp; Piano to Monica Vinader, Piper has been helping to build and support brands for nearly 40 years. In each interview we dig into ‘7, 17, 70’, the three critical stages Piper believes businesses will encounter, whether that be number of employees, sales or sites. These moments are where changes and challenges can be overcome on the path to becoming a brand legend, a business with purpose and vision that makes people’s lives healthier, happier and more fulfilling, while helping them minimise their impact on the environment.

Turtle Bay founder Ajith Jayawickrema interviewed by Mary Nightingale