How the Ministry of Crab became Crab Corporation is a story for all, not just crab lovers.
It has all the ingredients to make a restaurant tick — the big, popular names who put in part of the money (both cricketers), the mystery behind the name of the place (Ministry of Crab), the plush new place (Old Dutch Fort), and an applauding crowd.
Last December, the Ministry of Crab, promoted by Sri Lankan Cricket Captain Mahela Jayawardene and former Captain and close friend Kumar Sangakkara, opened in Colombo amid much fanfare and publicity. The new restaurant in Colombo Fort — Ministry of Crab — was just an excuse to eat some crab. Nothing more. But that did not stop the politicos from nit-picking on the name.
ADVERTISEMENT
Well, though the duo had named the place in all innocence, in a country with a Ministry larger than that of India, the name went beyond a mere attempt at being different. The matter went up to the highest executive authority, which held that it was not right to name a restaurant thus. It also did not help that the Ministry of Crab had registered itself as “Crab Corporation” with the Department of Registrar of Companies. They were not amused too. With so many frowning faces around, the two good businessmen changed the name back to Crab Corporation.
The impact on the clientele? Zero. Thanks to some dedicated people, who had kicked their jobs to devote to the cause of serving some good, tasty crabs, you need to call ahead if you need to dine in!