Pattaya: Muted response to the grand reopening of bars and clubs

[webfact]

Pattaya: Muted response to the grand reopening of bars and clubs

 

 

Thai media was met with a muted response to the news that pubs and clubs in Pattaya would be allowed to reopen today. 

 

77kaoded talked to Phatcharin, 40, the owner of Star Bar 2 who accepted that the days of good profits were over, at least for now.

 

She was prepared to follow the new rules to the letter and was happy that the government was allowing her to finally open. 

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

But she was expecting few tourists in her bar.

 

However, being open was just better than staying closed - at least they could get in some money to help with paying the rent. 

 

She said that over the last few months she had had to get loans just to survive. 

 

Source: 77kaoded

 

 

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[scubascuba3]

no news on whether agogos are opening?

[kingofthemountain]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But she was expecting few tourists in her bar.

 

However, being open was just better than staying closed - at least they could get in some money to help with paying the rent. 

She knows there is actually 0 tourists enter in Thailand since months?

 

I don't see any advantage to keep a bar if the landlord

still ask the full payement of the rent when your business is closed.

 

Better to pack your bag and move, at least you can save some money.

 

Anyway there is no shortage of places for rent or for buy in Pattaya if

later (In few months or in few years) the tourists are back in numbers

and you want comeback in the business

Edited July 1, 2020 by kingofthemountain

[kingofthemountain]

15 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

no news on whether agogos are opening?

Most of the classics beers bars are not going to reopen today

i don't see any gogo to open in the next weeks, unless they

have a lot of money to lose, the customers are just not here

[bkk6060]

I have had a few Gogo girls to my room from the dating sites.  They miss their friends and some of the partying, but are not that anxious to go back to work.

Hustling lady drinks and fake flirting with handsy customers gets old.

They have much more freedoom and set their own hours working the sites.

The money can be better and they have more control who and when they want to meet.

So, it should be interesting when they open how many of them actually return to the Gogo's.

 

[JonnyF]

23 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

I don't see any advantage to keep a bar if the landlord

still ask the full payement of the rent when your business is closed.

 

Better to pack your bag and move, at least you can save some money.

Depends if you've just paid a load of "key money" and taken out a new contract.

 

Let's say you paid key money in January on a 3 year lease. You wouldn't fancy walking away now, you'd at least want a chance to make something back. Although given the extortionate amounts being asked for rent and key money, you would have been better off sticking the money in the bank and drinking at someone else's bar without all the stress.

[kingofthemountain]

3 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Let's say you paid key money in January on a 3 year lease

I will say you have been very unlucky

 

but you are right, and imo after this crisis, it could be possible that the rent

for the bars will become more ''light'' and the key money be a thing of the past

or a lot of place could stay empty for months or even years with nobody interested

 

Let see how much money the greedy Thai landlords are ready to lose at this game

[Kerryd]

I think the bars can open at 5 today ?

I'm off to go do some (grocery) shopping. Curious to see how many alkies (alcoholics) are already lined up outside of their favourite "local" !

As for the landlords, they know they are sitting on cash cows and they know that the customers will come back (eventually). Probably not likely to come down on the rents only to see "business as per normal" a couple months later and end up stuck with leases worth a lot less than they would have been.

It used to be an issue on Walking Street where someone (foreigner usually but not always) would lease a property and sink a few million into it but when the lease was due, the owner would jack up the price to the point the leasee had to walk away.

Then the owner would find a new tenant, maybe at a somewhat higher lease rate than the previous one, and the dance would start again. (I've lost track of how many go-go bars closed down then re-opened in the same spot with a new name and decor and then closed down again a couple years later. It seems there are a couple almost every year, at least.)

Sheesh, one (Thai) guy I know that's been in the business for nearly 40 years had that happen to a couple places he was running and had been running for decades. 
Suddenly the lease came up on his go-go and he couldn't afford the new rate they wanted so he had to walk away. (And his own sister apparently is a part of the group that owned that property !)

Then the lease came up on a couple beer bars he'd been running for decades. The owner told him he was going to redevelop the properties into a new shopping mall. My friend had to walk away from that (and another place) as well.

Meanwhile, the go-go bar became a (poorly visited) "sports bar" and the beer bars are still beer bars, just with a different leasor it seems.

Just chatted with another friend that owns (leases with another friend actually) a beer bar on Walking Street. They aren't planning on opening tonight as they don't expect there'll be enough customers to make it worthwhile.

But I'm sure if they see lots of people waiting in line to get into the places that are open, they'll probably change their minds in a hurry.

[Taxi]

I was on walking street this morning at 11:00am, there was not a single car or truck delivering anything. Surprising, looks like WS opening is going to be a bit of a slow burn.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Taxi

[kingofthemountain]

1 hour ago, Taxi said:

I was on walking street this morning at 11:00am, there was not a single car or truck delivering anything. Surprising, looks like WS opening is going to be a bit of a slow burn.

Walking street is an area mainly for the tourists

there is actualy no tourists in Thailand since months

so it's normal if it's quiet. I don't think any business is going to open

soon in Walking street, the rent are huges here, and if you have negociate a 

low rent during the closure, you don't want to be back at a full rent payement

as soon as you reopen if you are not sure you can do some money with your business first

[tribalfusion001]

The only rumour I heard was maybe Shark and Lighthouse opening today in Soi Cowboy, that seems pointless if the rest of the soi is closed. Doesn't look like any go go bars opening in Pattaya, unless some in LK Metro are brave, lack of mug punters is the key for go go bars, no fresh meat.

 

Clubs are opening tonight in BKK, glow in soi 23, but is a proper club with an underground vibe so maybe ok with expat and Thai crowd. Places like Insanity and Insomnia no point opening without tourists.

[murraynz]

5 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

no news on whether agogos are opening?

Most are staying closed,but i know of several that ARE opening.

Whether that works out....

Time will tell.

[dukeandduke]

5 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I have had a few Gogo girls to my room from the dating sites. 

 

May I ask which dating sites you prefer?  I guess that I just did.  I've enjoyed meeting some "friends" on Thai Friendly over the years, but that ship seems to have sailed in large part.

[thecyclist]

Are the bars on Soi 6 reopening? 

[kingofthemountain]

6 minutes ago, dukeandduke said:

May I ask which dating sites you prefer?  I guess that I just did.  I've enjoyed meeting some "friends" on Thai Friendly over the years, but that ship seems to have sailed in large part.

Since few weeks now Thaifriendly is packed as hell

and new ones are coming every day in numbers, an easy market actualy

[kingofthemountain]

5 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

Are the bars on Soi 6 reopening? 

few bars of the Nighwish group open today

from the FB of the ''boss'' yesterday

 

''We are opening the following bars first. (Many other bars owners are not going to open until the 8th (after the 2 day holiday closure 6th Asahna Bucha and 7th Buddhist Lent) or when tourists start arriving.)

Midnight hours will be enforced. We will open 1 hour earlier to counter this. 12pm - 12am.

 

Soi 6

 

Wrath bar

Toy box bar

Play pen

Pussy club

Kawaii bar

Sexy in the city

 

Soi chaiyaboon

 

Blue bar ''

 

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by kingofthemountain

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, murraynz said:

Most are staying closed,but i know of several that ARE opening.

Whether that works out....

Time will tell.

All we need is a few agogos to open, out of about 40 i only went to 4 so I'll be checking those later

[scubascuba3]

31 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

few bars of the Nighwish group open today

from the FB of the ''boss'' yesterday

 

''We are opening the following bars first. (Many other bars owners are not going to open until the 8th (after the 2 day holiday closure 6th Asahna Bucha and 7th Buddhist Lent) or when tourists start arriving.)

Midnight hours will be enforced. We will open 1 hour earlier to counter this. 12pm - 12am.

 

Soi 6

 

Wrath bar

Toy box bar

Play pen

Pussy club

Kawaii bar

Sexy in the city

 

Soi chaiyaboon

 

Blue bar ''

 

 

Strange he didn't bother posting this on Pattaya News

[3NUMBAS]

a trickle of elbow benders wont pay for the rent ..critial mass is a long way off due steep seat prices and no planes

[dukeandduke]

57 minutes ago, dukeandduke said:

May I ask which dating sites you prefer?  I guess that I just did.  I've enjoyed meeting some "friends" on Thai Friendly over the years, but that ship seems to have sailed in large part.

Interesting.  Maybe in Pattaya.  In Bangkok, maybe in quantity, but not in quality.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

She said that over the last few months she had had to get loans just to survive. 

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

who accepted that the days of good profits were over, at least for now.

Obviously never saved for a rainy day !

[Mick501]

1 hour ago, thecyclist said:

Are the bars on Soi 6 reopening? 

Rode along around 3pm and already plenty of girls and punters.   Suspect it'll be jumping tonight.

[brewsterbudgen]

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

no news on whether agogos are opening?

I don't know about Pattaya, but some gogos in Nana Plaza are opening tonight.

[Benmart]

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

no news on whether agogos are opening?

More like agone-gones.

[Benmart]

5 hours ago, Kerryd said:

I think the bars can open at 5 today ?

I'm off to go do some (grocery) shopping. Curious to see how many alkies (alcoholics) are already lined up outside of their favourite "local" !

As for the landlords, they know they are sitting on cash cows and they know that the customers will come back (eventually). Probably not likely to come down on the rents only to see "business as per normal" a couple months later and end up stuck with leases worth a lot less than they would have been.

It used to be an issue on Walking Street where someone (foreigner usually but not always) would lease a property and sink a few million into it but when the lease was due, the owner would jack up the price to the point the leasee had to walk away.

Then the owner would find a new tenant, maybe at a somewhat higher lease rate than the previous one, and the dance would start again. (I've lost track of how many go-go bars closed down then re-opened in the same spot with a new name and decor and then closed down again a couple years later. It seems there are a couple almost every year, at least.)

Sheesh, one (Thai) guy I know that's been in the business for nearly 40 years had that happen to a couple places he was running and had been running for decades. 
Suddenly the lease came up on his go-go and he couldn't afford the new rate they wanted so he had to walk away. (And his own sister apparently is a part of the group that owned that property !)

Then the lease came up on a couple beer bars he'd been running for decades. The owner told him he was going to redevelop the properties into a new shopping mall. My friend had to walk away from that (and another place) as well.

Meanwhile, the go-go bar became a (poorly visited) "sports bar" and the beer bars are still beer bars, just with a different leasor it seems.

Just chatted with another friend that owns (leases with another friend actually) a beer bar on Walking Street. They aren't planning on opening tonight as they don't expect there'll be enough customers to make it worthwhile.

But I'm sure if they see lots of people waiting in line to get into the places that are open, they'll probably change their minds in a hurry.

A War and Peace novel of sorts.

[kingofthemountain]

1 hour ago, Mick501 said:

Rode along around 3pm and already plenty of girls and punters.   Suspect it'll be jumping tonight.

Don't forget your raincoat

heavy rain tonight on Pattaya

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

Don't forget your raincoat

heavy rain tonight on Pattaya

Yeah already started

[kingstonkid]

GF and I are coming to Pattaya on the weekend wondering what is going to be open we are not into the go go scene ( Well she isn't LOL) Going to be staying at a hotel on beach road near hooters

[Yknot]

2 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

Don't forget your raincoat

Generally good advice for Soi 6.

[mommysboy]

6 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

The only rumour I heard was maybe Shark and Lighthouse opening today in Soi Cowboy, that seems pointless if the rest of the soi is closed. Doesn't look like any go go bars opening in Pattaya, unless some in LK Metro are brave, lack of mug punters is the key for go go bars, no fresh meat.

 

Clubs are opening tonight in BKK, glow in soi 23, but is a proper club with an underground vibe so maybe ok with expat and Thai crowd. Places like Insanity and Insomnia no point opening without tourists.

Well, they'd get all the available punters, so it could be quite busy.