Thai restauranteurs struggle to stay afloat amid rising infections

[webfact]

A restaurant in a mall in Bangkok. (Photo by Jack TAYLOR / AFP)

 

by Veena Thoopkrajae

 

Covid-19 will forever change the restaurant business as many eateries are forced to close.

 

The current wave of the pandemic is expected to wipe out hundreds of struggling restaurants following the government’s decision to restrict dining in and operating hours in the “dark red” zones, Bangkok among them, where the virus has been spreading quickly since early April.

 

Restaurateur Kamol Trisitthichet, the owner of the 79-year-old Chinese restaurant Arlek Ratchawongse, told Thai PBS World that he has lost half a million baht since the pandemic arrived in Thailand. He said that the restrictions on dining in had really hurt his business because most of the dishes he serves are traditional Chinese and must be consumed hot and freshly cooked. “Take-away or online deliveries aren’t recommended and my regular customers know well that I am against it,” he said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-restauranteurs-struggle-to-stay-afloat-amid-rising-infections/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-05-31

 

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[WineOh]

just take a walk down any soi in Bangkok and you will clearly see the devastation that has been caused by these restrictions.

 

However, what really bothered me about the previous reopening post lockdown was the amount of Pubs and restaurants that were refusing to give discounts.

 

How do you expect to get customers in when you are still charging full price for beer and food?

 

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day long, and also half price on food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

 

Either that or be forced to close your doors forever.

 

Up to you.

Edited May 31, 2021 by WineOh

[KC 71]

2 minutes ago, WineOh said:

just take a walk down any soi in Bangkok and you will clearly see the devastation that has been caused.

 

However, what really bothered me about the last opening post locking down was the amount of Pubs and restaurants that were refusing to give discounts.

 

How do you expect to get customers in when you are still charging full price for beer and food?

 

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day and half price food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

 

Either that or be forced to closed your doors forever.

 

Up to you.

To be fair, i don't think think they can afford it.

[ttkeric]

Hrump! ...and I really had to post this to congratulate the 2nd poster for making the "Choosing Beggar" of the week! 

 

Mate, I didn't begrudge my favourite cafe when they had to put prices up by a grand amount of 10 bahts after enduring a difficult year (after a year, just last week they raise prices!) and I conscientiously choose to eat at local "moms and pops" (or "mae and pors" for the Thai spin!) to help the everyone out a bit.   

 

I guess to certain people it always the race to the bottom which really doesn't help anyone out. Maybe I'm just blessed and didn't really suffer any loss of employment during this time other than slightly decreased pay with no year end bonus last year. 

[smedly]

people are now allowed in restaurants - has it changed anything ?

 

Thailand is nothing without foreign tourists, that is blatantly obvious, yes it is a result of covid but just being allowed to open doesn't solve the problem

[smedly]

21 minutes ago, WineOh said:

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day long, and also half price on food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

many bars in pattaya did just that and attracted what custom was left to one small area LK Metro, the rest of the city is in darkness and shut - 80% of it

Edited May 31, 2021 by smedly

[robblok]

9 minutes ago, smedly said:

people are now allowed in restaurants - has it changed anything ?

 

Thailand is nothing without foreign tourists, that is blatantly obvious, yes it is a result of covid but just being allowed to open doesn't solve the problem

Strange remark maybe you live in Pattaya but in non tourist area's its mainly Thais that frequent restaurants.

 

Anyway I eat as much from restaurants as i did before I just use grab to order instread of going there. I think a lot of restaurants are just not willing to change a bit. Everyone has it difficult we all need to change things.

[smedly]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Strange remark maybe you live in Pattaya but in non tourist area's its mainly Thais that frequent restaurants.

 

In pattaya there are Thai resturants and bars that Thais use but the thing is - when there are no foreign tourists then Thai numbers also reduce significantly which has an effect on everything across the city - Bangkok might be different in the broader sense.

[Fex Bluse]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Covid-19 will forever change the restaurant business as many eateries are forced to close.

 

This is really a big surprise, @sandyf. I always would have expected the domestic tourism to be perfectly fine despite a raging global pandemic. This caught me by surprise.

 

You, too?

[Fex Bluse]

2 hours ago, WineOh said:

just take a walk down any soi in Bangkok and you will clearly see the devastation that has been caused by these restrictions.

 

However, what really bothered me about the previous reopening post lockdown was the amount of Pubs and restaurants that were refusing to give discounts.

 

How do you expect to get customers in when you are still charging full price for beer and food?

 

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day long, and also half price on food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

 

Either that or be forced to close your doors forever.

 

Up to you.

 

Hi there. I completely get what you posted here. It's tricky. In countries where people are more honest, there is good will built up. I can tell you stories from other countries in the region where is more trust between locals and expats, and in those places people are happy to pay full price to help out these establishments.

 

This lack of willingness here, especially from us expats, is mostly because the locals have a bad reputation of trying to rip us and each other off at nearly every opportunity.

[Scottie12]

This stupid government ban on alcohol sales in pubs and restaurants is causing thousands of job losses. 

[gearbox]

5 hours ago, WineOh said:

just take a walk down any soi in Bangkok and you will clearly see the devastation that has been caused by these restrictions.

 

However, what really bothered me about the previous reopening post lockdown was the amount of Pubs and restaurants that were refusing to give discounts.

 

How do you expect to get customers in when you are still charging full price for beer and food?

 

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day long, and also half price on food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

 

Either that or be forced to close your doors forever.

 

Up to you.

 

In the tourist areas like Samui and Phuket you'll get X number of customers per day, irrespective whether you offer discounts or not. There are just not enough tourists.

In a hindsight the right strategy for many of the good restaurants in Samui was to fire all the staff early, renegotiate the ongoing rent to a minimum, and close down. This way the cash bleeding can be minimized, and they would have more resources when the things get significantly better. I see some places still opened which probably can't cover their electricity cost with the turnover they are getting.

[timendres]

5 hours ago, robblok said:

Anyway I eat as much from restaurants as i did before I just use grab to order instread of going there. I think a lot of restaurants are just not willing to change a bit. Everyone has it difficult we all need to change things.

 

Clearly not familiar with the food and beverage industry and its challenges.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that the restrictions on dining in had really hurt his business because most of the dishes he serves are traditional Chinese and must be consumed hot and freshly cooked. “Take-away or online deliveries aren’t recommended and my regular customers know well that I am against it,” he said.

So in the short term change your menu?

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, smedly said:

many bars in pattaya did just that and attracted what custom was left to one small area LK Metro, the rest of the city is in darkness and shut - 80% of it

Because their business model can only cater to the tourist trade... by that I mean international tourism... 

Thais are not interested in what they have to offer or pay the prices they're asking.

Change or die... June 7th isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to Pattaya Phuket or any other resort, so few foreigners will venture this way this year.

[Pattaya Spotter]

6 hours ago, WineOh said:

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day long, and also half price on food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

So they can go bankrupt twice as fast? I find the pricing to be very promotional at many restos and pubs...almost to the point of embarrassment.

Edited May 31, 2021 by Pattaya Spotter

[Pattaya Spotter]

6 hours ago, ttkeric said:

Hrump! ...and I really had to post this to congratulate the 2nd poster for making the "Choosing Beggar" of the week! 

 

Mate, I didn't begrudge my favourite cafe when they had to put prices up by a grand amount of 10 bahts after enduring a difficult year (after a year, just last week they raise prices!) and I conscientiously choose to eat at local "moms and pops" (or "mae and pors" for the Thai spin!) to help the everyone out a bit.   

 

I guess to certain people it always the race to the bottom which really doesn't help anyone out. Maybe I'm just blessed and didn't really suffer any loss of employment during this time other than slightly decreased pay with no year end bonus last year. 

Yeah...that post was unbelievable...as well as untrue. Just about everywhere I eat has been offering lots of pricing deals and specials during Covid. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

4 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

This lack of willingness here, especially from us expats, is mostly because the locals have a bad reputation of trying to rip us and each other off at nearly every opportunity.

Maybe it's the locals you choose to associate with...or the fact many expats squeeze at baht till it cries.

[kokesaat]

6 hours ago, WineOh said:

just take a walk down any soi in Bangkok and you will clearly see the devastation that has been caused by these restrictions.

 

However, what really bothered me about the previous reopening post lockdown was the amount of Pubs and restaurants that were refusing to give discounts.

 

How do you expect to get customers in when you are still charging full price for beer and food?

 

In times of crisis it should be buy 1 get 1 free all day long, and also half price on food to help stimulate growth in your sector.

 

Either that or be forced to close your doors forever.

 

Up to you.

I spent 13months in the US (marooned).......a fair number of restaurants/bars closed up shop, but I didn't see any offering discounts.  Most people seemed happy to find a restaurant still open (dining in or not).  At one Mexican restaurant that I frequented, dining in was shut down for several months.  Cars lined up for drive up service.  You want food, you wait.  The people at the drive up window had a tip jar.......and I didn't hesitate to tip handsomely........something I normally wouldn't have done for drive up service.

[Fex Bluse]

18 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Maybe it's the locals you choose to associate with...or the fact many expats squeeze at baht till it cries.

 

Some people say that cucumbers taste better pickled 

[thweshfoyo]

Not bad actually ! First time that we can see a restaurateur think ! (some might be able to, but never met them !)

 

[malibukid]

why doesn't Thailand instigate a stimulus package like the U.S. has done to help small business owners?  

[natway09]

Spare a thought for the Pubs that cannot open at all & most the rent still needs paying

[greenmonkey]

I think Thai's are changing their eating behaviour. Not only are they choosing to stay away from restaurants I think they are also not ordering delivered food as much. The threat of covid is now very real. People are cooking for themselves.

[GinBoy2]

8 hours ago, kokesaat said:

I spent 13months in the US (marooned).......a fair number of restaurants/bars closed up shop, but I didn't see any offering discounts.  Most people seemed happy to find a restaurant still open (dining in or not).  At one Mexican restaurant that I frequented, dining in was shut down for several months.  Cars lined up for drive up service.  You want food, you wait.  The people at the drive up window had a tip jar.......and I didn't hesitate to tip handsomely........something I normally wouldn't have done for drive up service.

The restaurant biz is tough at the best times, so close them down for even a month is gonna send a lot to the wall.

 

My wife's friend owns a Thai restaurant here in the US, and they hurt big time.

But they pivoted to take out and swallowed hard and signed up for Doordash, even though they take a 30% chunk off the order!

 

But they survived, now hopefully they can pay off the accumulated debt and get back on their feet

[Stargeezr]

For the posters like Wineoh and others who have their pensions and other assured means of money to

keep them living in Thailand.   With the restaurants and pubs charging what they do for their food and beverage,

do you actually believe that they make huge profits?  I doubt that the cost of the food and drinks have gone down in 

price for the eating and drinking places.  It is only the foolish who think that any business who has survived the pandemic

so far, is still full of filthy rich owners and workers.  Discounts are given when a business is doing great and times are good.

  Look around, do any of you see this situation today?  Just wondering?

Geezer

[Fex Bluse]

17 hours ago, smedly said:

people are now allowed in restaurants - has it changed anything ?

 

Thailand is nothing without foreign tourists, that is blatantly obvious, yes it is a result of covid but just being allowed to open doesn't solve the problem

 

Yes. 

• Foreign Tourism
  • HJs
  • Massage
  • Food consumption
  • Remittances from Farangs to Issan
• Rice and durian export
• Assembly for manufacturing bits and bobs

That is the bulk of the Thai economy. It's a loss of face for Thailand to admit, however, but it's becoming clear that much of the economy fails when those dirty, nasty foreign tourist don't contribute.

[Jud Canada]

15 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Yeah...that post was unbelievable...as well as untrue. Just about everywhere I eat has been offering lots of pricing deals and specials during Covid. 

My Thai wife calls it promotion...although correct it makes me smile every time.

[jacko45k]

22 hours ago, WineOh said:

However, what really bothered me about the previous reopening post lockdown was the amount of Pubs and restaurants that were refusing to give discounts.

I must admit, I took a trip to Bangkok after Lockdown 1 from Pattaya and had a couple of nights there. There were some special offers being advertised, but they were laughable compared to Pattaya.....  hard to find value in Bangkok, although I got a great hotel deal. 

 

[Pattaya Spotter]

4 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Foreign Tourism

• HJs
• Massage
• Food consumption
• Remittances from Farangs to Issan

 

Maybe the foreign tourism you and your friends/associates partake in...the tens of millions of couples, families, and single adventure travelers not so much.