Pragnesh Rai recalls the first steps he took in the hospitality industry. They were in the aisles of Mulund-s Deepak Bar and Kitchen, a quarter bar owned by his father Ganesh Rai. "My brother and I had to start from scratch. We-d make the drinks for the customers, serve the tables and only much later, did we take on supervisory roles."

The 31-year-old, who runs Khar-s popular pub, SamBar, in fact, still spends considerable time at his father-s outpost. But, ask his father if he returns the favour, and the 64-year-old smiles sheepishly and admits, "I have been there only twice." It-s very noisy, he says. "Your generation manages to speak to each other over the music, but it-s too loud for me. In fact, here," he says, throwing a glance at the quarter bar, which he inherited as a rice-thali eatery from his father, "if we so much as put on some music, guests turn to us and ask us to switch it off. They prefer just engaging in talk."