Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Conclusions (2)



It's hard to say, how long would be the life expectancy for an average beer bar in Pattaya under the same management and ownership. Two years? Three years?

But, if we are talking about the newcomers, it's presumably not more than one year, even less. Right now, around my location on Soi Buakhao, I've seen lot of bar owners giving up during the last year. Some of them couldn't run the business even more than 3 months.

The most common mistakes they made include:

1. No attractive ladies or no ladies available at all;

2. Trying to set up or offer something too original, like cocktail lounge, exotic beverages or food etc;

3. Bad location, especially if there were no bars before and/or around;

4. Dreaming too much about regular customers and/or their own friends;

5. Family and/or financial matters.

First of all, this is Pattaya and nobody is coming to sit in your bar for a drink only. If a farang is looking for a beer, he's looking for ladies' company altogether. Of course, not for sex always, but you couldn't underestimate this part of your business.

Secondly, try to set up your bar into the mainstream. Don't make anything too original, especially if you are a newcomer. Yes, if you are living here more than three years, you can try something different, but even in this case, don't go too far from the common.

Location is very important indeed. You have to be very cautious establishing a bar in place where previously was a laundry service and no bars exist around.

Regular customers are like fertilizer for every business. But how and why they are coming? If your bar is outside from the main entertainment area, only the local people are your hope. How many potential customers are living around? And, again, don't dream too much about your friends from your country, especially if you have only a bar and no accommodation to offer.

Last but not least, the family matters. As a rule, you are going to make the bar business together with your Thai wife/girlfriend, aren't you? If there appears the slightest misunderstanding or mistrust between you and your consort, you are lost.

Bottom line: expect no profit for the first year.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have met many people in Thailand over the last 10 years that have purchased a bar.

95% of them struggled to make money and some after the first year simple gave up.

I do have a couple of friends that have hit the jackpot and opened a great bar and are really making money, but their story is not the normal.

Anonymous said...

I often wonder how many of the bars make any money you go past them every night and never see any customers. I think to run a bar in Pattaya you have look at it has a hobby or just something to do with your time not a profit making business.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Anonymous said...

jim australia here- you did not make money in this bar because you were the same as all bars. same business model. you had zero differentiation.plain girls, tiny bar, nothing different to make you special.
You sound like a nice but soft guy.You couldnt get a mama san because the girls didnt like it? Who was running the bar- you or the girls?
It didnt really matter anyway, you were amongst 1200 bar to compete with, you had no chance to succeed anyway.
Your blog is truly magnificent in courage.

sandler brett said...

they fail in there hundreds-middle age farangs,meet bar girl/girlfriend 24 -29 years old who loves them yeah right.they buy bar -beach road for £50,000.bar girl/girlfriend starts playing up wants more money she has you by the short and curlies,you dont speak lingo and without her you are stuffed,you dont see any profit after a couple of months money reserves start drying up.why do you think most of the mamma sans will say i farang boyfriend because they use you and lose you,
all of a sudden you wake up and smell the roses and by then you have been well and truly shafted.remember your so called girlfriend has shagged more guys then you have had cups of coffee and behind that cute little face is a heart as cold as the north pole.do you think your dick is special,all you are is money nothing never forget this nothing else.your girlfriend will work your case untill you are milked dry and then start to treat you like a toe rag.be wise have fun in thailand dont get shagged rather you shag them.my mate works as a lawyer in pattaya and he says there is a constant flow of these suckers,all of them not some but all end up the same way-out of pocket big time.and dont forget your so called girlfriend is more street wise then you could imagine,she has shagged and partied and talked to more guys then you have in your business life.she has done short time and long time for years-seven days a week at many places.She knows how guys think,what they like and how to act to each one.be warned

Anonymous said...

SANDLER BRETT- Hardcore advice :) Every muppet and whatever he rode in on should take on board EVERYTHING that you say, truly!

But...will they listen? Nah. Thousands of Go-Go bars in Thailand, why would you want one?

Buy a 1M BHT condo and just sit around drinking beer and shooting the shit-its cheaper and less complicated :)

Enjoy

Anonymous said...

My good friend is moving to Pattaya to start a bar and I thought that this is going to be a tough tide !, but after reading what you have put down, it so reminds me of the people's bars in Spain but pattaya

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