Crepe Runner

Crepe Runner is a Sri Lankan fast-food restaurant chain built around sweet and savoury crepes. The brand was founded in Colombo in 2019 by Sri Lankan entrepreneurs Abdus Salaam, Abdus Samad, and Mohamed Suhail, with early support from friends and family. It began as a food truck, giving the founders a relatively focused format for testing recipes, toppings, service routines, and customer demand before moving into permanent outlets. The concept combines a crepe-focused menu with other casual fast-food and beverage products. Its offerings include sweet crepes made with toppings such as the brand's in-house chocolate spread, as well as savoury crepes. The menu is supplemented by loaded chips prepared with spicy meat or melted cheese and by drinks including milkshakes, mojitos, and hot chocolate. The combination allows the chain to serve customers looking for desserts, snacks, or more substantial savoury items within the same format. Crepe Runner's early traction in Colombo supported a transition from mobile trading to a broader outlet network. The brand subsequently expanded beyond Sri Lanka, opening a branch in Malé, Maldives, on 7 October 2022. The reference material reports that the chain operates 22 outlets across Sri Lanka and the Maldives, although the source does not specify the date at which that outlet count was measured. The Maldivian expansion represents the brand's first identified international market and demonstrates an effort to adapt a Sri Lankan-born food concept for regional use. The chain also presents a local-sourcing dimension through its service of Sri Lankan coffee. This element connects the restaurant concept with coffee-growing communities and their livelihoods, giving the beverage range a local economic and cultural association alongside the more internationally familiar crepe format. Crepe Runner has described or reported plans to expand into the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia, and Canada. These markets are expansion targets rather than confirmed operating territories in the available reference material. Accordingly, the brand is best characterized as an active Sri Lankan restaurant chain with operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives and with ambitions for wider international growth. Detailed information about its corporate ownership, financial performance, leadership after its founding team, franchise structure, and official website is not established by the supplied sources.

Crepe Runner was established in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2019 by Abdus Salaam, Abdus Samad, and Mohamed Suhail. The founders received support from friends and family during the early development of the business. Rather than starting with a conventional restaurant network, they launched the concept as a food truck. This initial format centered on sweet and savoury crepes and provided the basis for the brand's later outlet model. The business expanded after gaining traction in Colombo. Its menu developed beyond crepes alone, incorporating loaded chips with spicy meat or melted cheese and a drinks range that includes milkshakes, mojitos, and hot chocolate. The chain also serves Sri Lankan coffee, an offering associated with support for local coffee-growing communities and the livelihoods connected to them. This combination of core products and complementary items gives the brand a broader fast-food proposition while retaining crepes as its defining category. Crepe Runner subsequently moved from its original food-truck format into a multi-outlet chain. The available reference states that it operates 22 outlets in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, though it does not date that figure. International expansion is specifically documented through the opening of the Malé branch on 7 October 2022. The Maldives therefore became the first identified foreign market in the supplied account. The brand has also identified a number of potential future markets, including the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia, and Canada. These destinations are described as expansion plans and should not be treated as confirmed operating markets without further evidence. The available material does not establish the company's legal structure, ownership beyond its founders, franchise arrangements, financial results, executive succession, or official digital presence. Its documented development nevertheless follows a clear path from a Colombo food truck to a Sri Lankan fast-food chain with a regional international footprint.

• 2022

  Malé outlet opens

  [1]Crepe Runneren.wikipedia.org

  The chain opens a branch in Malé, Maldives, on 7 October 2022, marking its documented move into an international market.

• 2019

  Crepe Runner is founded in Colombo

  [1]Crepe Runneren.wikipedia.org

  Abdus Salaam, Abdus Samad, and Mohamed Suhail establish Crepe Runner in Colombo with support from friends and family.

• 2019

  The brand begins as a food truck

  [1]Crepe Runneren.wikipedia.org

  Crepe Runner launches its sweet and savoury crepe concept through a food-truck operation in Colombo.

A casual, crepe-focused fast-food chain offering sweet and savoury menu items, complementary snacks, and house beverages, with an emphasis on accessible dining and selected Sri Lankan ingredients.

• Dessert and sweet fast food · 2019

  Sweet crepes

  Sweet crepes form one of Crepe Runner's two central menu categories. The range uses varied toppings and accompaniments, including the brand's in-house chocolate spread. These products anchor the chain's dessert-oriented identity and are sold alongside beverages and other snack items.

• Savoury fast food · 2019

  Savoury crepes

  Savoury crepes are the second core product category and extend the concept beyond desserts. The available source confirms a range of savoury crepes but does not provide a complete list of fillings, recipes, or individual product names.

• Side dishes and snacks

  Loaded chips

  The chain's loaded chips complement its crepe menu and are offered with toppings such as spicy meat or melted cheese. They broaden the menu toward more substantial savoury snacking and help position the outlets as general fast-food destinations rather than single-product dessert shops.

• Beverages

  House beverages

  Crepe Runner serves several beverage types, including milkshakes, mojitos, and hot chocolate. The range is designed to accompany both sweet and savoury food. The source also identifies Sri Lankan coffee as part of the offering, connecting the beverage program with local coffee-growing communities.

• 2022

  International expansion into the MaldivesStrategy

  Background

  After developing its Sri Lankan outlet network, Crepe Runner pursued regional expansion beyond its home market.

  Action taken

  The company opened a Malé branch on 7 October 2022.

  Aftermath

  The opening established the Maldives as a documented international operating market. The supplied source does not provide sales, outlet-performance, or other financial outcomes.

  Source

• Planned expansion into additional international marketsStrategy

  Background

  The chain's reported regional presence has been accompanied by ambitions for broader international growth.

  Action taken

  Crepe Runner has identified the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia, and Canada as planned expansion destinations.

  Aftermath

  The available material does not confirm that outlets were opened in these markets or provide a timetable for the plans.

  Source

• 2022

  Crepe Runner opens its first identified international branch in Malé[1]Crepe Runneren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Crepe Runner opened a branch in Malé, Maldives, on 7 October 2022, extending the Sri Lankan restaurant chain beyond its home market.

• Crepe Runner reports expansion across Sri Lanka and the Maldives[1]Crepe Runneren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The available reference describes Crepe Runner as operating 22 outlets across Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The source does not provide a date for this outlet count.

1. 1Crepe Runneren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Crepe Runner opens fourth outlet at Marine Drive, Kollupitiya | Daily FTft.lk