Restaurants might be open but Chiang Mai diners are choosing to stay home

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Restaurants might be open but Chiang Mai diners are choosing to stay home

 

 

Ban Muang reported that diners in Chiang Mai were not going out to eat despite restrictions being eased allowing them to sit down in open air restaurants.

 

They quoted the chief of the restaurant association in the northern Thai city as saying that it continued to be deathly quiet in his members' 200 restaurants.

 

Chawalit Choncharoen, who also owns the Saneh Chai Nam restaurant in Saraphi district, said that his members were operating at only 10-15% of capacity.

 

It was particularly bad for those who opened in the evening.

 

They had to space out the tables and were only serving 3-5 tables a day. 

 

There was one entry/exit point, there was hand washing and temperature checks, masks for all and staff had to wear gloves

 

Cash was replaced by using QR codes, families were restricted to four at a table and when people had gone his members had to do deep cleaning.

 

There was no alcohol allowed to be served and no air conditioning could be used.

 

All this was adding up to one thing  - hardly any patrons.

 

He said that people feared contracting Covid-19 and that people traveling some distance also feared not getting back home ahead of the 10 pm curfew start.

 

Staff had to go home at 9 pm to avoid breaking curfew. 

 

In addition people had little money to eat out due to the dire state of the economy.

 

The message was clear - despite the easing of the restrictions people were turning down the opportunity to eat out and rejecting the "New Normal", notes Thaivisa.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-05-09

 

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[bkk6060]

Unfortunately, this will probably be the worldwide response.

People will just be too afraid to eat out I guess until there is a vaccine.

Which could be years or never.

Very sad state for the future of the restaurant industry.

[JeffersLos]

Are massage shops in CM open again too, or are they still closed?

[Geoffggi]

Maybe people have finally tasted "Home Cooking" and decided which is best.............LOL

[JeffersLos]

15 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

People will just be too afraid to eat out I guess until there is a vaccine.

I think the rules of no alcohol and no aircon are a bigger put-off than fear of catching the virus.

 

Why sit in a hot empty restaurant with no beer or wine with your meal, when you can sit in your aircon dining room with a glass of Merlot. 

Edited May 9, 2020 by JeffersLos

[norfolkandchance]

I think it’s a fine line. Out to dinner at our local hotel last night. Hotel guests where ordering meals for their rooms and buying beers.

We sat down and the waitress said you are guests as well would you like a beer.

Mind you we where only ones in the restaurant.

I’m sure it happens else where.

[Yorkshire Tea]

"Cash was replaced by using QR codes"

 

Well that rules me out, & probably one or two others.

[Thailand]

Been using Grab to get our fixes from a couple of the restaurants that we used to frequent and enjoying with a choice of alcoholic beverage we have at home when we fancy it.

That may well continue even with reopening

 

Grab does not require QR codes, well not yet.

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

There was no alcohol allowed to be served and no air conditioning could be used.

There's the reason, hottest time of the year, no AC and no alcohol.

 

It's over!

[Krataiboy]

Who needs food when you feast non-stop on fear porn?

[Jcord1]

I was told at a restaurant in Bangkok I could sit at a table outside alone...not with any friends and eat, but no alcohol.

If I was really craving the food from the restaurant I'd just get it to go.

 

People go to restaurants with family and friends for a "dining experience".

[spidermike007]

The re-opening of the economy is going to take a long time. This is the first time in history, that the economies of the world have deliberately shut down. It was an experiment in insanity.

 

And the consequences of this will be untold. Millions could remain out of work. Hundreds of millions could go hungry, or starve around the world. It is the little guy who is hurt the most. The governments? Here, they are all collecting full salaries and benefits, while debating whether or not to "help the masses" with $160 a month, then denying them when they apply. That is beyond cynical. 

[mrfill]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Unfortunately, this will probably be the worldwide response.

People will just be too afraid to eat out I guess until there is a vaccine.

Which could be years or never.

Very sad state for the future of the restaurant industry.

I'm not so sure it is fear, but just not wanting to have a meal without alcohol, aircon and at only 4 per table. And then, if you can cope with that, you have to get out well before 10pm to avoid the curfew. And you have to pay for all that hassle...

[bluesofa]

4 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Cash was replaced by using QR codes

If you don't have a QR code, then no food too.

[BritManToo]

I was going to eat out with the family last night, then thought .......

No beer ....... no sale.

 

And had a beer with my dinner at home.

Edited May 9, 2020 by BritManToo

[Puchaiyank]

The new pandemic...is the plight of people who have made their living owning or working in restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, oil and gas, real estate, vehicle sales and so on...

 

There is no vaccine for fear!

[sweatalot]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is the first time in history, that the economies of the world have deliberately shut down. It was an experiment in insanity.

... an experiment in insanity.

 

Well said

[Mayhem11]

Yes I agree. Lots of good tucker in CM but why would I bother if I can’t get a bottle of plonk to go with it.

[DefaultName]

27 minutes ago, Mayhem11 said:

Yes I agree. Lots of good tucker in CM but why would I bother if I can’t get a bottle of plonk to go with it.

Agreed, I'm in Pattaya, but it's the same here, eating out is a social thing and involves alcohol for many of us.  No alcohol, people eat at home.

 

I'm not talking about; "hungry, must eat", but about sitting down and enjoying a leisurely meal.

[connda]

Tis the death knell of restaurants.  And a man-made tragedy at that.

[torturedsole]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The re-opening of the economy is going to take a long time. This is the first time in history, that the economies of the world have deliberately shut down. It was an experiment in insanity.

 

And the consequences of this will be untold. Millions could remain out of work. Hundreds of millions could go hungry, or starve around the world. It is the little guy who is hurt the most. The governments? Here, they are all collecting full salaries and benefits, while debating whether or not to "help the masses" with $160 a month, then denying them when they apply. That is beyond cynical. 

Amen, brother. 

[Susco]

Don't think no alcohol is the main reason.

 

I don't think alcohol is banned in China, but I hear the same story from suppliers in China. The restaurants opened again almost a month ago, but they are empty. People still have to wear a mask, and travel between home and work, and that's it

[EricTh]

How does one pay with QR code? Is there a bank charge for each transaction with QR code?

[torturedsole]

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

How does one pay with QR code? Is there a bank charge for each transaction with QR code?

QR codes are so 90s.  

[Relocated]

How can anyone go out for dinner when you have to feed all family with Bt 5,000 for a month?

[torturedsole]

1 hour ago, Retarded said:

How can anyone go out for dinner when you have to feed all family with Bt 5,000 for a month?

30 baht noodle / rice food stalls.  Seating provided.  

[Ron jeremy]

12 hours ago, ukrules said:

There's the reason, hottest time of the year, no AC and no alcohol.

 

It's over!

Wow, never thought having to go without alcohol for 30-45 minutes was such a life altering experience. But then again it is Thai retirees, ok, it's sort of making sense now.

[Captain Monday]

36 minutes ago, Ron jeremy said:

Wow, never thought having to go without alcohol for 30-45 minutes was such a life altering experience. But then again it is Thai retirees, ok, it's sort of making sense now.

It is not about alcohol drinking. No normal country bans alcohol beverages to stop a virus. Fact is half empty restaurants not serving their most profitable markup items can't make money and might as well not open. That puts people who need to work on the street, no income. 

 

USA. There are 150,000 Hotel rooms in Las Vegas. All Hotel/Casino resorts are closed. I understanding shutting the Casinos  but Instead of shutting down everything there are older people who are retired anyway and can care for themselves in their own home. Older people without resources or help, people with underlying conditions should be put in designated hotels and resorts, given room service at government expense. This is being done in Japan and Korea.

 

Social Distancing had been studied for decades. It needs to be targeted at vulnerable groups. Shutting down entire economies is unprecedented and a failure. Hope we learn from this.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3372334/

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Captain Monday

[BadBouy]

If the to Okahjhu restaurants are slow then it is a truly bad sign, always packed with Thai people.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The message was clear - despite the easing of the restrictions people were turning down the opportunity to eat out and rejecting the "New Normal", notes Thaivisa.

Gets used to it, this is the new normal.