Inquiry

[michael2018]

Hello everyone I am a young student and I want to open a fast food restaurant in bangkok I market and there is really huge opportunity to exploit in this area and especially when it comes to product consumption french people thai love it

my question is so can you tell me if i would like to live in thailand for life what should i do for my country's life which is still France and level visa application in thailand (A 1 year work visa is renewing it every time is this the best solution?

[PoorSucker]

Troll post removed. 

[PoorSucker]

You will need to form a company with 2 million baht capital and need four Thai employees to get a work permit. 

[ubonjoe]

A work visa does not exist.

You would need a non-b visa, a work permit and then you could apply for a 1 year extension of stay based upon working after getting the business setup.

[elviajero]

I doubt your idea/plan is feasible. You will need to set up a company, which must be 51% owned by a Thai. You’re going to need a good relationship with a trustworthy Thai business partner.

[anon789561]

if your idea was a good one then fine, just remember there's a lot of competition in the food business in bkk. also, you'll need decent capital and good thai connections otherwise i'd say you're taking a serious risk with your capital. do more research, i suspect it's not as easy as you think

[Prince77]

Don't want to discourage you and appreciate your entrepreneurship, however, opening any kind of business in Thailand is no walk in the park. Besides all regulations (reserved job for Thai nationals only) and preconditions like registered capital, employment of locals, minimum salary... - as soon as you will get successful, there might be someone who want to participate.

 

Finally the Thai locals do not really appreciate competition. Do something nobody want to do and stay under the radar.

 

But whatever you do: never give up - good luck.

[robertson468]

What a load of unhelpful and pessimistic replies!

 

First, go work to a fast food outlet for at least a year to see how the mechanics of it works. 

Research what the most popular outlets serve and then get training to produce this product(s) EFFICEINTLY.

Research the location for your business.  Pointless to say Bangkok.  That is one huge area and not all the areas are suitable as fast food outlets.  The adage of the three most important aspects of business are LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION stilll by and large apply.

You need to do a business plan.  Rental Costs, electricity costs, water costs, salaries, cost of products.  Deciding on your estimated gross profit and then deduce what your net profit is going to be (if you don't know the differences of these, or how to calculat them, you need to take a business course).

The big NO, NO is to think you are special and know it all.  Like any job you want to succeed at, you need to know it inside out, otherwise I predict you will fail and loose a shed full of money in to the bargain.

Rather than me saying good luck, what I will say is study, listen and learn before committing your (or Parent's?) hard earned money.

[DineshR]

Advice from@robertson468 is spot on !


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[holy cow cm]

If research and still comfortable then go for it. Spend thrifty with your egg basket. I too like your gung ho-ness.  

[ubonjoe]

I have cleaned out worst of the off topic, inflammatory and Thai bashing posts.

The OP was asking about a visa and etc not business advice.

[Soneva]

What are you talking about when you say opening a fast food restaurant?  Fo you mean your own start up? 

 

If so, I would suggest getting a lot of experience first.  You may have more luck in a place like Laos or Myanmar where there is much less existing competition and the capital required will be much lower. 

 

If you have significant capital, i.e. millions USD, you could consider franchises.  Open franchises with Minor food group, who take care in larger part of managing the business and who know to operate in Thailand.  

 

A new start up in Bangkok would be very expensive and, unless you have a lot if experience and the right connections, very risky.  That’s why I suggested Laos.  In Vientiane or Luang Prabang you could open for a fraction of the cost, and have far less competition from major chains.  You would still have to work extremely hard,  but if you succeed it could be very nice.  Lots of French, Russian, and other expats in Laos. Lots of tourists too,  especially in Luang Prabang.  

 

I know several foreign owned restaurants in Vientiane that have delicious food and are doing well.  But, they are run by experienced professionals, who work hard.  

 

Get food & beverage, hospitality experience in Europe first. 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Soneva said:

What are you talking about when you say opening a fast food restaurant?  Fo you mean your own start up? 

 

If so, I would suggest getting a lot of experience first.  You may have more luck in a place like Laos or Myanmar where there is much less existing competition and the capital required will be much lower. 

 

If you have significant capital, i.e. millions USD, you could consider franchises.  Open franchises with Minor food group, who take care in larger part of managing the business and who know to operate in Thailand.  

 

A new start up in Bangkok would be very expensive and, unless you have a lot if experience and the right connections, very risky.  That’s why I suggested Laos.  In Vientiane or Luang Prabang you could open for a fraction of the cost, and have far less competition from major chains.  You would still have to work extremely hard,  but if you succeed it could be very nice.  Lots of French, Russian, and other expats in Laos. Lots of tourists too,  especially in Luang Prabang.  

 

I know several foreign owned restaurants in Vientiane that have delicious food and are doing well.  But, they are run by experienced professionals, who work hard.  

 

Get food & beverage, hospitality experience in Europe first. 

In Vientiane recently, I was quite surprised by the number of French nationals there - about 70% of tourists.

Franchises can be a financial death-trap if the franchisor makes the franchisee a captive of the supply chain. A lot of franchisees in Australia under huge stress.

I'd agree - get the fast food experience first by working in a fast food chain. If you can't make it to store manager, possibly it's not for you.

[off road pat]

3 hours ago, robertson468 said:

What a load of unhelpful and pessimistic replies!

 

First, go work to a fast food outlet for at least a year to see how the mechanics of it works. 

Research what the most popular outlets serve and then get training to produce this product(s) EFFICEINTLY.

Research the location for your business.  Pointless to say Bangkok.  That is one huge area and not all the areas are suitable as fast food outlets.  The adage of the three most important aspects of business are LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION stilll by and large apply.

You need to do a business plan.  Rental Costs, electricity costs, water costs, salaries, cost of products.  Deciding on your estimated gross profit and then deduce what your net profit is going to be (if you don't know the differences of these, or how to calculat them, you need to take a business course).

The big NO, NO is to think you are special and know it all.  Like any job you want to succeed at, you need to know it inside out, otherwise I predict you will fail and loose a shed full of money in to the bargain.

Rather than me saying good luck, what I will say is study, listen and learn before committing your (or Parent's?) hard earned money.

Best reply of the day, everything is accurate !!!

[grkt]

Are you Thai ? After reading your English it really seems !

If you are not, just find a Thai girlfriend and put in her name, you do not have a lot to lose and anyway we need to pay for experience.

[khunPer]

On 5/7/2018 at 8:39 AM, michael2018 said:

my question is so can you tell me if i would like to live in thailand for life what should i do for my country's life which is still France and level visa application in thailand (A 1 year work visa is renewing it every time is this the best solution?

Michael2018, even you may have found a good potential for a business, it's not that easy to start up for a foreigner in Thailand. 

 

As moderator @PoorSucker mentioned above in post #3,you'll need to form a Thai company with employees – and for a Work Permit your 2 million baht (about 50,000€) shareholder capital might need to be paid in full – but you'll also need to find two other shareholders to form a Thai company limited, and 51% of the shares shall be held by one or more Thai nationals; i.e. you need a Thai business partner that own the majority of "your" company.

 

I'm not at all saying it's impossible, just that's it's difficult – however, probably impossible for a young French student, if you don't have a nice sum of savings to invest – you might be better off finishing your studies (in France?), make and save a bit of capital, and then reconsider opening a business in Thailand. In the meantime just enjoy visiting Land-of-Smiles...

[AL]

FRENCH to FRENCH: don’t get a wrong idea about Thai loving French food. Very few do go to French restaurant and those odd ones won’t pick a fast food for a gourmet fare. We tend to believe the FRENCH prestige is still what it used to be. Better make a soft landing now than a crash later.  Go ahead with your project, not easy but not impossible, but unless you are Louis Vuitton or L’Oreal don’t count on your broken English and an Eiffel Tower in your window for an instant success. 

Bonne chance !

[Monkeyrobot]

I hope your doing French bread, it’s hard to get decent bread here. 

[natway09]

Yes, it can be done. You will need seed capital & a Thai partner who you & totally trust with it.

do your homework, ask questions, get a good accountant to help you through the mountains of Thai paperwork  & it can work. Don't give up.

I have had 2 successful businesses in Thailand 

[sirocco]

Hello, for French bread, it's mostly a matter of flour.
Except to buy his flour 45 or 55 or other,
  I have never eaten good French bread, even among the French who made it.
So the fougasses, it is better not to talk about it.

[Soneva]

Again, I cannot emphasize enough how much easier I think opening a business would be in a less developed country than Thailand. Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, for example would have fewer barriers to entry, and less competition. Also high quality of life and one can visit and enjoy Thailand frequently.

Re franchises, those negatives are not true of the best companies. An investment in a good franchise opportunity is like gold. If you have that capital already, let a company that is an expert in the field do most of the work FOR you.

I could be mistaken, but from the OPs description it sounds like we’re talking about starting from squash one, with limited capital.

If you had some prior experience in food and beverage in Europe/elsewhere, and a couple hundred thousand USD capital, that could be enough to start a business in a place like Laos and potentially be very successful.


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[onera1961]

On 5/7/2018 at 1:39 AM, michael2018 said:

when it comes to product consumption french people thai love it

What does it really mean? Is it a French Fast food restaurant? Is it serving French food? If the idea is unique and good, why don't you move to the US and start this new French Fast food chain. US is the mother of all businesses and implementation of new ideas.

Edited May 8, 2018 by onera1961

[tolsti]

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

In Vientiane recently, I was quite surprised by the number of French nationals there - about 70% of tourists.

Franchises can be a financial death-trap if the franchisor makes the franchisee a captive of the supply chain. A lot of franchisees in Australia under huge stress.

I'd agree - get the fast food experience first by working in a fast food chain. If you can't make it to store manager, possibly it's not for you.

You were surprised by the amount of French Nationals there..... wow....I guess history was not one of your strongest subjects.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Protectorate_of_Laos

[michael2018]

On 07/05/2018 at 1:58 PM, ubonjoe said:

A work visa does not exist.

You would need a non-b visa, a work permit and then you could apply for a one-year work-based extension after setting up the business.

Thank you for your answer and especially for your advice 

[michael2018]

18 hours ago, onera1961 said:

What does it really mean? Is it a French fast food restaurant? Does it serve French food? If the idea is unique and good, why do not you move to the United States and start this new French fast food chain? The United States is the mother of all businesses and the implementation of new ideas.

Yes it is a fast food revisit by France (It is about the concept Mexican Tacos) but 100% French way called the FrechTacos this type of restoration works very very well in France besides I already opened 2 in collaboration with a friend in Corsica (Bastia and St Florent) and I do not hide you that it works of thunder  

Edited May 9, 2018 by ubonjoe
changed to English using Google translate (please post in English)

[michael2018]

20 hours ago, khunPer said:

Michael2018, even though you may have found good potential for a business, it's not so easy to start for a stranger in Thailand. 

 

As a @PoorSucker moderator  mentioned above in post # 3, you will need to form a Thai company with employees - and for a work permit, your capital of 2 million baht (about € 50,000) may have to be paid in full - It will also be necessary to find two other shareholders to form a Thai limited company and 51% of the shares will be held by one or more Thai nationals; that is, you need a Thai business partner who has the majority of "your" business.

 

I'm not saying at all that it's impossible, just that it's difficult - but probably impossible for a young French student, if you do not have a good amount of savings to invest - you'd better to finish your studies (in France?), do and save a little capital, then reconsider the opening of a company in Thailand. In the meantime, come visit Land-of-Smiles ...

Thank you bcp for your answer,

Know that I really realize the difficulty of the realization of this project (it's probably my entrepreneurial spirit since even if I'm still a student I already opened 2 companies in Corsica of course in partnership with a friend who is a majority) but hey I wanted to try it here in Thailand because there are really opportunities to exploit ....

 

Anyway thank you bcp for your advice I really appreciate 

 

Good day to you !   

[michael2018]

20 hours ago, off road pat said:

Best answer of the day, everything is accurate !!!

I totally agree with you this is one of the best answer I could read 

 

For info I already worked in this kind of restoration not in Thailand but enormously in France I have enough experience in this area after as you say very well we must study all aspects (strategic location, investments to be made the different costs etc ....) 

thank you again for your answer and especially for the clarity of your reasoning

 

Good day to you   

[sirocco]

Hello,

I just watched on face book, and it's more like a Mac'do.
But as some have pointed out, settling in the trade is not easy in Thailand.
So, goodbye French bread, ham / butter and red wine glass.
Indeed, French cuisine is well revisited. 
 

[sirocco]

Good evening, Michael,
Sorry, but many of us thought it was 100% French,
and it's true that eating a real sandwich, crispy,
croque-monsieur with cheese and ham,
in the company of friends or even alone, it's nice.
But the kebab, the merguez, the nugggets, the Mexican cakes, the pitas, it's not French.
The taco-french ???? rather touch the French suburbs,
because it is cheap, stodgy.
As for taste, we forget the French good food.
Aims rather a country that loves this food.
Good luck, and do not be too greedy, wait for it to work really well in Corsica. If the Corsicans let you continue.
Although a good Corsican sausage, from black pigs fed on acorns, it's extra.
 

[Soneva]

Don’t forget how to pitch your product. It has to appeal to Thai (or Lao, whatever local tastes) AND be seen as a good value in the eyes of locals if you expect it to sell.

That means it has to be good enough (in the eyes of locals, not only in your eyes) to convince them to spend substantially more than they would on their favorite local foods.

That equation is not easy. Different tastes, different price level, different substitutes to compete against than in France. Also, you have to train your employees to cook in a professional manner, in a hygienic kitchen environment up to international standards.

You have to do all of that, and the product has to be not just acceptable food (which may sell in France), but it had to convince average Thai people to shell out half a day’s salary for it, on a regular basis. Not only that, but it has to be a profitable business model after all costs are accounted for.

I’m not being pessimistic, but just highlighting what the challenge is. Any foreign food in Thailand - whether it is a pizza or a hamburger or a sandwich - is not a “cheap” fast food item for locals as it would be in France. For most locals, it would be a special treat to buy something like that. So, there is a higher level of expectation, and there is a limit to how much you can realistically expect to charge for that item.

You also have to open up in a vacuum where there is demand. If you think you’re going to open up alongside other businesses that are already successful, selling a great product, you need a lot of differentiation to make your product sell. Otherwise forget about it.




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