Restaurateur Philippe Lafforgue PHOTO: AFP
But the Frenchman's refusal to serve Pakistanis unless they were accompanied by a foreigner has landed him in the soup in this deeply conservative country.
It all started with a Twitter comment one evening in December. Cyril Almeida, a prominent Pakistani journalist, complained about a restaurant which refused reservations from anyone except "foreign-passport holders":
https://twitter.com/cyalm/status/411190250116235264
https://twitter.com/cyalm/status/411403466477957120
Established in October, "La Maison" is a small French bistro tucked away on the ground floor of Lafforgue's house in a posh, tree-lined area in the heart of the capital.
After being refused a table, Almeida turned to social media, launching a campaign with the hashtag "NoToApartheid."
"It is so obviously offensive and obnoxious... why should a private individual establish a club or an establishment which blocks out the very people of the country it is operating in?" Almeida told AFP.
He published the address of "La Maison" online, contacted the police, the ministry of the interior and the local member of parliament.
The results were almost immediate: two senior police officials tried to book a table at the tastefully decorated restaurant replete with ornate carpets and works of art. But like Almeida, their efforts proved in vain.
Officers then raided La Maison, shut it down, arrested two local staff and confiscated some 300 bottles of wine, beer and even Perrier - possibly thinking the sparkling mineral water was champagne.
Pakistan's twittersphere, made up in large part by the country's small but influential elite, reacted sharply.
Some compared the policy to the kind of discriminatory attitudes seen during the colonial era when Pakistan was still part of British-ruled India.
Lafforgue, who moved to Pakistan in 2005, says he has been taken aback by the reaction and insists he acted in good faith.
After deciding to serve French delicacies like andouilletes (a coarse-grained pork sausage) and boudins (blood pudding), he says he believed he had no choice but to refuse locals in order to abide by the law.
Former socialist prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto banned alcohol in 1977, bowing to pressure from Islamic parties. But authorities allow its sale to non-Muslims, primarily for festive purposes, and "non-Muslim foreigners".
Islam bans the consumption of pig products - and therefore certain types of sausage. But while even many liberal Muslims avoid pork, many enjoy alcohol discreetly at closed-door gatherings.
"All that I have done was to abide by Pakistani law. If I did something illegal, I would have been condemned by mullahs and visited by the police (earlier)," says Lafforgue, who was previously a chef in France and moved to Pakistan to work as a firework technician.
In the diplomatic enclave, a high-security area of the capital which houses most foreign embassies, private restaurants and clubs sell alcohol to foreigners and their Pakistani guests.
The same goes for major hotels around the country, where foreigners pay handsomely for beer that might come served in a teapot or coffee cup to allay suspicions.
Some posh restaurants operate a "bring your own booze" rule as long as customers are discreet.
Even those who obtain licences are sometimes forced to close for days at a time by the police, who are believed to run extortion rackets.
After the raid, which happened on Saturday, Lafforgue was able to retake possession of his establishment.
Confident he is in the right, he awaits the release of his two employees and the return of his stock, and hopes to re-open his restaurant - this time by registering it as a "private club".
Almeida says he doesn't have a problem with a private club, but says nationality should not be a reason to refuse someone membership.
"Having a membership criteria does not mean you can exclude people on the basis of nationality," he says.
COMMENTS (8)
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France is kicking the butt of most Muslims owing to the dreaded dangerous of Sharia, hijab and growing Muslim migrants. GOP should NOT allow foreigners to humiliate Pakistanis in their own country, remember that FRANCE laws do not allow any migrants from opening restaurants of such caliber and barring French people. For racist- bigot France, 76% French population voted a strong "aversion" to Arabs, brownies, South Asians etc. NOW GOP should get back to its senses and throw him out.
Would france allow a restuarant in paris that serves all nationalities expect French?
Why Pakistanis are banned is beyond me. They can choose NOT to eat pork or drink alcohol, yet enjoy whatever else the restaurant has to offer. A private club that bans Pakistani membership is equally apartheid oriented.... I would like to see this chef try to establish a place in Paris banning French entry!!!
Good decision. what if some Pakistani eats pork sausage by mistake? then there will be lot of trouble.
I think the chap is doing Good service by keeping locals "Clean" from unwanted things. He should be given Nishaan e Imtiaz!