December 5, 2020 - Instead of the 5th birthday celebrations they had planned, a wonderful thank you gesture for Croatia's healthcare heroes from Curry Bowl Zagreb.

The pandemic has caused havoc with the hospitality industry around the world, and the restaurant sector is no exception. With lockdowns, rigorous measures, restricted opening hours and the reluctance of customers to risk infection, it is not surprising that some restaurants have not opened at all this year. But in among all the doom and gloom, there is often a great story or two.

During the national lockdown earlier this year, we reported on Nikola Bozic from Djurina Hiza, the only restaurant in Croatia which actually hired more staff, as he moved his business model from serving in-house to a nationwide delivery service.  

And how about this great story, a wonderful gesture and thanks to the healthcare heroes at the frontline of fighting COVID-19 from a corner of Sri Lanka in the heart of Zagreb. 

It wasn't quite planned like this. Ever since Sri Lankan brothers Brian and Clement Seranatne did a tour of Europe together several years ago ahead of Clement's upcoming wedding, Zagreb has been their life. They decided to open the first-ever Sri Lankan restaurant in the capital, and Curry Bowl Zagreb became a reality on December 4, 2015. The restaurant offered authentic Sri Lankan flavours, with dishes adapted to te European palate. My colleague Marc Rowlands did an excellent in-depth piece on Curry Bowl Zagreb recently - check it out here. 

Five years later, there is plenty to celebrate after what has been an incredibly successful adventure. Curry Bowl Zagreb is now rated in the top 5 restaurants in the Croatian capital, and the business has expanded to include the opening of Curry Bowl on Obonjan in 2016, the Whole Wide World Hostel on Britanski Trg in Zagreb, and the official distributorship of Lion Beer in 2018. 2020 included plans to expand the Curry Bowl brand outside Croatia for the first time. 

So much to celebrate on December 4, 2020 after 5 phenomenal years. But... 2020. 

So the enterprising brothers came up with something VERY different than the 5-year birthday they had planned. With the restaurant closed for sit-down customers until at least December 21, they decided instead to mark the first five years with a wonderful gesture - a week of free, delicious Sri Lankan food for any frontline hospital worker showing their ID, as a small thanks for all their efforts. 

The generous offer will last a week, starting yesterday until December 10. In order to collect their meal, the hospital worker just needs to pick it up from the restaurant and show hospital ID. You can take a look at the menu here and contact them for more information. 

You can check out the brothers interviewed on national television in the video below, or check out more in Marc's article. 

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