Pakistan, Dec. 12 -- I tell everyone, "Food business is the most lucrative business in Punjab." After all, the province itself is synonymous with food and beverage. But of late, I have been proved wrong. Restaurants, cafes and eateries have been closing down left, right and centre, owing to dearth of clients and customers. There are no walk-in orders, no traffic and hence, as Cheeky Joe's owner once said to me, "The response has been slow."

Now I tell everyone, "The food market in Punjab is like a beast. It will gobble you up if you don't pull up your socks." The way it has gobbled up so many recently. The ones who have survived are of two kinds 1) the pioneering ones who set a precedent for the kind of food they served and 2) the consta...