Foreign Men Bid Thankful Farewell in Pattaya

It seems promotional for Pattaya. They have no clue how to behave and say thank you, it seems. Laying on the floor is questionable i think.

Edited July 13Jul 13 by ikke1959

Not adventurous eaters innit.

For the Thai staff to bow so low, these two guys must have done something inordinately good to them. More than just good tips. Or it is foreign-owned and the owner twisted Thai traditions in an effort to go viral.

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

It seems promotional for Pattaya. They have no clue how to behave and say thank you, it seems. Laying on the floor is questionable i think.

I agree with you, they were putting the (serving) staff in a very awkward position. I wonder if they bowed to and wai-ed the waitresses every time they went into the restaurant also?

Even if they overdid the bowing at least it is a positive story about some tourists at least trying to show appreciation and do something good rather than get drunk and get into fights. Good for them.

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

For the Thai staff to bow so low, these two guys must have done something inordinately good to them

I guess it was just politeness on the part of the staff, they will have been returning the ridiculously over the top "thank yous" but going just a little bit further out of courtesy (instead of mocking the foreigners lack of knowledge of Thai cultural etiquette!)

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Two foreign men gave an emotional farewell to staff at their favourite restaurant in Pattaya before returning to their home country, after regularly dining there during their stay in Thailand.

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The moment was shared by TikTok user @sanggg_pbp, who posted a video showing the pair visiting Steakpremier to say goodbye. The post was captioned, “Farewell before going home. @Daniels Knaps #thailand #thaifood.”

The video, which included the on-screen text “POV: when Thai food hits,” showed the two men approaching restaurant staff, performing a traditional wai before kneeling and bowing to the floor as a gesture of respect and gratitude.

Staff members quickly returned the gesture by kneeling and bowing in response, with some lying flat on the floor while accepting the farewell. The exchange drew widespread attention on social media for its display of mutual respect.

Picture courtesy of TikTok: @sanggg_pbp

Many Thai and international users commented on the video, with one viewer asking what had prompted such an emotional goodbye. The person who shared the clip explained that the men had become regular customers during their time in Pattaya and wanted to thank the staff before flying home.

“They liked eating at this restaurant and came here very often. They were about to fly back to their home country, so they bowed to say goodbye,” the poster replied.

Another social media user commented: “They’re so adorable. I’m sure they’ll come back to visit many more times, and maybe even stay longer. No matter how many times I watch this, it warms my heart. Safe travels, and I wish them all the best.”

The video continued to attract positive reactions, with many viewers describing the farewell as heartwarming and praising the respectful exchange between the visitors and the restaurant staff. The clip highlighted the strong impression Thai hospitality and cuisine can leave on international visitors.

The Thaiger reported there has been no further update from the restaurant or the two men. However, the video continues to circulate online, with many users expressing hope that the pair will return to Thailand in the future.

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13 July 2026

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Idiots, obviously have no idea what they are doing. Respectable Thai people do not wai restaurant staff no matter how good the food was. These idiots most likely will get diarrhea on the plane ride home.

2 minutes ago, Screaming said:

Idiots, obviously have no idea what they are doing. Respectable Thai people do not wai restaurant staff no matter how good the food was. These idiots most likely will get diarrhea on the plane ride home.

Yesp, it does seem that many 'westerners' have no clue about wai etiquette :) I earn 'brownie points' for being old and for being a teacher. The only people I wai are monks, parents of my students and the bank manager who is considering my loan request.... :)

12 hours ago, Screaming said:

Idiots, obviously have no idea what they are doing. Respectable Thai people do not wai restaurant staff no matter how good the food was. These idiots most likely will get diarrhea on the plane ride home.

Thank you for your incredibly cheerful and positive message. At least there are some members on this forum who truly devote their time to trying to uplift the community.

Looks more like a promoting the resteraunt as it is also online

But each to their own they obviously enjoyed the food

Giving the staff a good tip would probably suffice and more beneficial to the staff 🤑

OK. Let me try again.

This is so embarrassing. Ask anyone who knows anything about the art of the wai. Give the foreigners credit for trying but can I perhaps recommend one or two books on Thai culture? They only have to read the sections regarding the wai to start. Then maybe if they come back they won’t embarrass themselves.

Edited July 14Jul 14 by Front Row
(ducking otto collect)

13 hours ago, Screaming said:

Idiots, obviously have no idea what they are doing. Respectable Thai people do not wai restaurant staff no matter how good the food was. These idiots most likely will get diarrhea on the plane ride home.

What a miserable take on a feel good story.

Just my opinion but reading the article and how it was presented and not reading into anything else or surmising anything else, it’s apparent that they tried to do the right thing and thank the restaurant folks for their kindness and good food.

Again surmising, I don’t think anyone comes to a foreign country and learns immediately how to properly thank someone from another country. I.e, you don’t go to Japan for the first time and learn how to properly bow, the same with Korea, or really who to bow to.

In Thailand, and I’m making an assumption here, most of the folks on the board have been here for a while and give the Wai at temples, to Buddhist priests and maybe to elders and maybe it’s correctly done or not. To me, I also use it as a for of greeting others. So bottom line is who cares if they know how to do it right or not, at least they tried — those are folks you want to come back as visitors

Cheers all! Enjoy the day

Just a Tad over the top lads.

13 hours ago, simon43 said:

13 hours ago, simon43 said:

Yesp, it does seem that many 'westerners' have no clue about wai etiquette :) I earn 'brownie points' for being old and for being a teacher. The only people I wai are monks, parents of my students and the bank manager who is considering my loan request.... :)

I don't "wai" anybody.

A nod of the head and a decent smile to acknowledge them seems to suffice to the people I come into contact with daily.

Edited July 14Jul 14 by Scouse123

I've seen these types walking around Bangkok that would ' wai ' to a lamp post if they saw one.

They wai at waiting staff,tuk tuk drivers, motorbike taxis, all whilst wearing a Bangkok singlet and a Vietnamese conical hat.

As others have said, a quick bit of brushing up on Thai etiquette on Google would go a long way to saving embarrassment all the way around.

14 hours ago, simon43 said:

Yesp, it does seem that many 'westerners' have no clue about wai etiquette :) I earn 'brownie points' for being old and for being a teacher. The only people I wai are monks, parents of my students and the bank manager who is considering my loan request.... :)

WHAAAT! Not the security guy opening the door at Tesco Lotus? For shame Simon, for shame. 🤣

Not sure what these guys thought they were doing. Whatever their motives their performance will have greatly embarrassed the Thai staff.

20 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

It seems promotional for Pattaya. They have no clue how to behave and say thank you, it seems. Laying on the floor is questionable i think.

You are correct, this is 100% disrespectful. The Thai staff is confused, being polite, and tolerating this shameless click bait influencer BS. The Wai he is using is only for Royalty, Monks, and Images of Lord Buddha.

These two boys had a wonderful vacation, and it’s lovely to see them making an effort to say "thank you" in the Thai way.

Even if their wai and the way they bow don't quite meet the standard form, it is still a wonderful gesture on their part.

People on this forum write about ill-mannered foreigners all too often, yet when you read a story like this, it’s still not good enough for some.

I think there are people who get up in the morning solely to annoy others.

5 hours ago, Front Row said:

OK. Let me try again.

This is so embarrassing. Ask anyone who knows anything about the art of the wai. Give the foreigners credit for trying but can I perhaps recommend one or two books on Thai culture? They only have to read the sections regarding the wai to start. Then maybe if they come back they won’t embarrass themselves.

Agree totally, I've been here 35+ years and when I first came here I made some mistakes waiing the wrong people. I quickly learned from my wife, who, where, and why to perform the wai. It's a nice gesture on their part but totally uncalled for in this scenario, especially the bowing on the floor part. The staff probably thought, "farang baa!"

3 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

It is how muay thai guys pay respect. Most of the idiots on here have never been.

3 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

It is how muay thai guys pay respect. Most of the idiots on here have never been.

1 hour ago, Beat666 said:

VThese two boys had a wonderful vacation, and it’s lovely to see them making an effort to say "thank you" in the Thai way.

Even if their wai and the way they bow don't quite meet the standard form, it is still a wonderful gesture on their part.

People on this forum write about ill-mannered foreigners all too often, yet when you read a story like this, it’s still not good enough for some.

I think there are people who get up in the morning solely to annoy others.

A wai on the knees in Thai culture is strictly reserved for royalty. certain monks, and occasionally a victor in conflict. This performance by these two guys will have embarrassed the Thais, and will have made them feel very uncomfortable.