Pattaya: 228 baht for a "kapao kai"! Shop asks for understanding - my customers are foreigners!

[polpott]

Just now, teacherclaire said:

Easy to find out when asking them: " Bai sai Maa?"

Always my first question. I much prefer Issan people to Central Thais. Its also an urban myth that they all work in P4P. Young couple next to me, both from Issan, she's a houswife, he's the manager of a well known Pattaya restaurant. Guy opposite me owns 4 7/11s in Pattaya, also from Issan. I would say more than 50% of the people living in my moo baan are from Issan. Most of the work in Thailand is in Chonburi/Rayong which is why Issan people move down here.

[The Now Factor]

I went to Pattaya the first time when i was a 'greenhorn"just to experience walking street,haven't been back since. This story confirms why.

[teacherclaire]

5 minutes ago, polpott said:

Always my first question. I much prefer Issan people to Central Thais. Its also an urban myth that they all work in P4P. Young couple next to me, both from Issan, she's a houswife, he's the manager of a well known Pattaya restaurant. Guy opposite me owns 4 7/11s in Pattaya, also from Issan. I would say more than 50% of the people living in my moo baan are from Issan. Most of the work in Thailand is in Chonburi/Rayong which is why Issan people move down here.

A close relative works in a factory in Rayong. His wife passed away when she's only 36.

Cancer seems to be all around in Rayong, not a good place to be.

 

Japanese, Chinese and Thai factories all over. The pay is a joke. 

[Natai Beach]

42 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

Um, try Googling what do Thai's call foreigners and this is what you will come up with, regardless if I said the word farang, 6, 2, 1, half dozen the other !

 

Whether it's said by a waitress in a restaurant, by a stranger on the street or by a colleague in a place of work, there's no avoiding it – if you're a white tourist, you'll be called a farang – the Thai word for foreigner.Oct 1, 2017

 

 

No need to google mate. 
Arabs, Greeks and Indian foreigners are called kaek, black foreigners Nigro, Asian are not called farang either. 
Same price for everyone. 
In Australia we have different names for different foreigners also. 

 

Or are you trying to say it is only white people that have to pay the price on the menu and black, Asian and Arab customers all get the special price? 

 

If you can’t read the Daily News link yourself, ask your wife to. No mention of farang, just the thai word for foreigners “dtaang chaat”. 
 

while you are at it ask her to translate guava, France, chewing gum, parsley and potato for you. 
 

if you want to know anything else, feel free to ask.

 

 

[crosthwaite]

Ate  there a few weeks ago.  High prices and the food isn't even mediocre.  My lady and I left more than half the food on the table.  I wouldn't eat there again if it was free.

[polpott]

4 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

while you are at it ask her to translate guava

Baxida?

[Natai Beach]

3 minutes ago, polpott said:

Baxida?

If she is from Issan. 
You are probably on the money I reckon. 

[connda]

With the borders closed since March 2020, there are still 'foreigners' who don't understand that a plate of Chicken and Basil with an egg on top can be had at most street vendors for less than 60 THB?  Who frequents over-priced places like these?  Still gullible after 8 full months in-country?  I'm impressed.

I'd love to see where this goes considering the cognitive dissonance it's just created.

[The Now Factor]

31 minutes ago, polpott said:

Most Thai people in Pattaya are from Issan.

My experience with Issan's was they like their food spicy hot and the women want a diamond ring on their birthday .

[Pj2738]

You have to get used to the Thai mind-set. If you are a tourist, you have more money than the majority of Thais, therefore you can afford to pay more, so they charge accordingly. The fact that a Thai got caught up in this and complained is testament to that. Turn this around and imagine a farang complaining about the price! You would never hear the end of Thai condemnation.

[polpott]

Just now, The Now Factor said:

My experience with Issan's was they like their food spicy hot and the women want a diamond ring on their birthday .

555. Spot on. I can't eat my wife's som tam (tam mahoon) and she did indeed get a diamond ring for her birthday this year.

[The Now Factor]

2 minutes ago, polpott said:

555. Spot on. I can't eat my wife's som tam (tam mahoon) and she did indeed get a diamond ring for her birthday this year.

it's not the diamond ring that got me(i'm not that cheap or stupid) it's the fact i just met her a week before.lol

[polpott]

1 minute ago, The Now Factor said:

 i have to disagree with you mate,i've been to khao yai more than once each time my wife pays one rate myself another,near double.

I had the same at Khao Yai. No problem for me as I thought it was good value for the price I paid. Not interested in what a Thai pays.

[n00dle]

Just now, The Now Factor said:

 i have to disagree with you mate,i've been to khao yai more than once each time my wife pays one rate myself another,near double.

 

You are aware that we are discussing a story about a man in pattaya who feels he was ripped off for a plate of rice he ordered in a restraunt with a clearly printed menu, right?

 

Perhaps we should find you a national parks thread.

 

Not sure what you and the missus having a day out in khao yai has to do with much of anything, but everyone has a right to be heard . Thanks for sharing.

[The Now Factor]

1 minute ago, polpott said:

I had the same at Khao Yai. No problem for me as I thought it was good value for the price I paid. Not interested in what a Thai pays.

I accept it as well,just pointing it out to the guy is all.

[n00dle]

11 minutes ago, Pj2738 said:

You have to get used to the Thai mind-set. If you are a tourist, you have more money than the majority of Thais, therefore you can afford to pay more, so they charge accordingly. The fact that a Thai got caught up in this and complained is testament to that. Turn this around and imagine a farang complaining about the price! You would never hear the end of Thai condemnation.

 

Such a uniquely thai phenomenon. 

 

Its a wonder people all over the world haven followed suit and tried to find their own way to part tourists from their money.

 

Oh wait. 

[The Now Factor]

3 minutes ago, n00dle said:

 

You are aware that we are discussing a story about a man in pattaya who feels he was ripped off for a plate of rice he ordered in a restraunt with a clearly printed menu, right?

 

Perhaps we should find you a national parks thread.

 

Not sure what you and the missus having a day out in khao yai has to do with much of anything, but everyone has a right to be heard . Thanks for sharing.

It extends beyond park admissions,there's other businesses doing the same thing.

[Burma Bill]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

29 for the fried egg.

What a rip off - I can get half a dozen from the local market for 30 baht ($1) here in Cambodia. Rip-off Thailand???

[Susco]

6 minutes ago, n00dle said:

 

Such a uniquely thai phenomenon. 

 

Its a wonder people all over the world haven followed suit and tried to find their own way to part tourists from their money.

 

Oh wait. 

 

Maybe you can tell us in which countries, other than Thailand and maybe Asia, where tourists pay more than locals for a dish of food.

 

Asking for a friend

[Burma Bill]

5 hours ago, champers said:

The place is rammed with Thais at the weekend. It is on a prime beach front location and specialises in seafood dishes. The complainer should join the Pattaya Cheap Charlies Club.

 

Maybe so, but the damage has already been done - by a Thai!!

[KeeTua]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

Regardless, did you read the heading ?

 

Pattaya: 228 baht for a "kapao kai"! Shop asks for understanding - my customers are foreigners!

I read the Thai news article and the heading translates to the following, and no exclamation mark:

 

"I ask for understanding, Chicken Kra-prow 228 baht is not expensive for foreigners - the price is clearly stated"

 

What's to argue with that?
Claims to have been open since 1999 so his business model is clearly working.

[Susco]

13 minutes ago, n00dle said:

You are aware that we are discussing a story about a man in pattaya who feels he was ripped off for a plate of rice he ordered in a restraunt with a clearly printed menu, right?

 

You are aware that we are discussing a story about a Thai man, who after living his whole life in Thailand and eating Thai food, knows the average price for a Kapao Kai, so he will not look at the menu.

 

If you in your home country go eat the national dish, do you always look at the menu, because you think it may be 10 times the average price nationwide?

[WineOh]

a little birdie just told me that on the sunny beaches of Tenerife it is currently 1 Euro for an ice cold pint of Amstel and 1 euro 50 for a full plate of fried chicken.

You could go out all day and not spend over a tenner.

 

Thailand needs to sort this price gouging nonsense out before it's too late as they are gonna lose out big time post covid! 

[n00dle]

2 minutes ago, Susco said:

 

Maybe you can tell us in which countries, other than Thailand and maybe Asia, where tourists pay more than locals for a dish of food.

 

Asking for a friend

 

Ok, first of all, we are talking about a thai man, who was charged the same amount of money a foreigner would be in a restraunt geared for tourists.

 

On my street alone, here in bangkok I can pay anywhere from 50 to 250 baht for the same dish. 

 

I can even find a 700 baht hamburger if iyou want one

 

Second, The term tourist trap was not invented to refer specifically to thailand . There are tourist specific restraunts and shops all over the world that inflate prices for the tourist trade.

 

 

[FarangPumpui]

I have eaten in this Mr 99 several time in last years. I know the prices are higher than normally but also staff is more polite, you have good seaview and the owner probably pays more rent than second road or Buakhao

[Hound dog 100]

Price was advertised, if you want to pay 20bt go to a cart and sit at the roadside. The business owner has done nothing wrong.

[polpott]

10 minutes ago, FarangPumpui said:

I have eaten in this Mr 99 several time in last years. I know the prices are higher than normally but also staff is more polite, you have good seaview and the owner probably pays more rent than second road or Buakhao

IMO best Thai restaurant in Pattaya is Daeng Dam on Pattaya Klang. King's sister had the road closed a couple of years ago so that she could eat lunch there. Pad krapow with a fried egg.......90 baht.

 

 

[Nout]

10 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

... and they wonder why tourism was declining even before Covid-19 ....

It wasnt.

 

10 hours ago, tingtongfarang said:

Guess he just lost most of his customers after this, silly man

Doubt it. People expect to pay at a sit down service restaurant with on table BBQ, music and many extras

[Jingthing]

11 minutes ago, polpott said:

IMO best Thai restaurant in Pattaya is Daeng Dam on Pattaya Klang. King's sister had the road closed a couple of years ago so that she could eat lunch there. Pad krapow with a fried egg.......90 baht.

 

 

The one with the overly sweet chicken massaman?

 

Its ok 

[KeeTua]

Seems like many folks believe the restaurant owner should be providing a community service by making food affordable for the locals and foreigners.

 

Put yourself in his position. You start a business to make money. In the beginning your prices are very reasonable but you're not making much of a profit for all your risk and hard work. You up the prices and find that your profit increases. You up the prices again and again until you find the sweet spot, a maximum and sustainable profit. You will lose some of your regulars along the way that liked the lower prices but you run a business and put up with all the headaches to make money. If its true that he has been running this restaurant for 20+ years he's a success story in the restaurant business.