Wish To Open Indian Fast Food Outlet.

[bhawani]

I will appreciate all possible help from knowledgable people on this form to help with knowing about the following :

1.) 3 of us all male intend to open a Fast Food restaurant in Pattaya.

2.) The intention is to run it on a "Trial" basis for 6 months to see the response & financial viability.

3.) Can anyone suggest the best way to go about this ?

4.) We would be bringing in one chef with us from India.

5.) All 3 of us are indians .

6.) What is the capital required via-a-vis VISA allowances for setting up a small Fast Food restaurant ?

7.) Would we need a Thai partner for such a venture ?

8.) What is the Thai Card ? Is it like>> one pays a certain amount to get a Permanent Residence ? Details would be most appreciated.

All are welcome to provide me their feedbacks and all information is welcome. I thank you for your time and valuable advise / information.

[davethailand]

i don't know anything about how to do it but i wish you luck as i will definately try your food.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I will appreciate all possible help from knowledgable people on this form to help with knowing about the following :

1.) 3 of us all male intend to open a Fast Food restaurant in Pattaya.

2.) The intention is to run it on a "Trial" basis for 6 months to see the response & financial viability.

3.) Can anyone suggest the best way to go about this ?

4.) We would be bringing in one chef with us from India.

5.) All 3 of us are indians .

6.) What is the capital required via-a-vis VISA allowances for setting up a small Fast Food restaurant ?

7.) Would we need a Thai partner for such a venture ?

8.) What is the Thai Card ? Is it like>> one pays a certain amount to get a Permanent Residence ? Details would be most appreciated.

All are welcome to provide me their feedbacks and all information is welcome. I thank you for your time and valuable advise / information.

Send your query to Sunbelt Asia or Indo-Siam. They are well qualified to respond to your queries, and there are links on the Thaivisa opening page. Good luck.

[Khun ?]

Plenty of them already in Pattaya. You may want to check with the local India mafia. I would say owning a bar would be a better option at least you can get drunk and abuse the workers until you go broke.

[megashox]

Yes, but none serving Indian fast food. The ones that call themselves Indian restaurants are really bad. Lousy decor, dark ambience and musty carpets / curtains. I would hate to think how their kitchens are compared to the exterior. The menu's are all worn out and dirty, even to touch. The food is lousy with stale ingredients.

If you are thinking of setting up an Indian fast food restaurant along the lines of Kamat's in Bombay or Narula's in Delhi, there is a big potential in Pattaya. Just make sure that your decor and style of presentation is contemporary (don't go for red curtains and a cliché name like Taj Mahal)!

All the best and PM me if you need any info - I'll try to help.

[Thaiquila]

Yes, the Indian restaurants in Pattaya are so bad.

There is definitely demand for a good product. Good luck!

How about some South Indian food too like dosas? That can work in a fast food setting.

[kwiz117]

Why Pathaya?

What is your composition of the target customer segment. (% Indian's, Foreigners, Thai people.) I have noticed and also experienced with my wife and her friends that they can not eat most of the Indian Food.

Most of the Indian's (over 2 million per year visit Thailand for trading) surely do shopping in Prathunam area. You get few Indian restaurants but not quality stuff. If I were you, I will try to tap that segment than other segments.

On the other hand, did you think what your customers really want? For example, take Dosa King or Komalas in Bangkok. I have tried with them many times. They are expensive for many Indian's who come here for shopping. Most of the time, place is empty.

About how clean the places are and interior décor. That is an area to focus on based on above selection of your target customer group.

I know most of the Indian Restaurants are cleaner than the street food in Thailand. But the fact is, when you look at it at a glance, you will not feel like that.

[juji]

Yeah bhawani,

Several points, some just expanding on the previous.

Why Pathaya?

What is your composition of the target customer segment. (% Indian's, Foreigners, Thai people.) I have noticed and also experienced with my wife and her friends that they can not eat most of the Indian Food.

Why Pathaya? is the first question I would be asking myself if I were you, along with who your customer base is going to be. Be prepared: Thai people like Indian food about as much as they like Indian people! You guys don't exactly have the best history in foreign relations. That said, us Brits probably feel about the same about the French but Le Pont De La Tour is packed every night, so there's no reason this idea won't work. it just needs more consideration.

Pathaya is a terrible location for several reasons.

1. It's full of all the wrong kind of Eurotrash tourists who couldn't care less what quality the food is as long as it comes along with a free beer and drug overdose.

2. This kind of links into 1. The place is thriving, but with all the wrong kind of activity. You won't be able to establish a loyal customer base.

3. Theplace is one of the slowest developing (commercially speaking) parts of Thailand. If you buy real estate there for your restaurant eventually, its not going to appreciate in the same way other parts might.

My advice? Keep the idea, perhaps do a Thai-Indian fusion cuisine, have both Thai and Indian chef, make the place upmarket but affordable, menus in both Thai and English, and put it either in the middle of BKK or for a really edgy idea in Chiang Mai. (Massively high-growth commercial potential, low present cost, big tourist, medium expat, big thai markets) Two years later franchise the joint out to lots of other eager young Indian entrepreneurs like yourself. Don't forget that image is everything in this market!! Get your branding message ABSOLUTELY PRECISE!!

In fact that's not a bad idea!! We should get in touch [email protected] If you need someone who speaks the language and already has a lot of investment in the country you can speak to me, I'm more than happy to help.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I will appreciate all possible help from knowledgable people on this form to help with knowing about the following :

1.) 3 of us all male intend to open a Fast Food restaurant in Pattaya.

2.) The intention is to run it on a "Trial" basis for 6 months to see the response & financial viability.

3.) Can anyone suggest the best way to go about this ?

4.) We would be bringing in one chef with us from India.

5.) All 3 of us are indians .

6.) What is the capital required via-a-vis VISA allowances for setting up a small Fast Food restaurant ?

7.) Would we need a Thai partner for such a venture ?

8.) What is the Thai Card ? Is it like>> one pays a certain amount to get a Permanent Residence ? Details would be most appreciated.

All are welcome to provide me their feedbacks and all information is welcome. I thank you for your time and valuable advise / information.

Over a week and not a word back from our Indian brothers. Perhaps they decided to target Delhi instead of Pattaya.

[bhawani]

Thanks Juji, Dave, Dr Pat, Kwiz & everybody for your views and inputs. I appreciate it all !

Why Pattaya ? Well, there is a very import angle that we might be missing >> "investment". Pattaya has a fair tourist influx. It is inexpensive ( as I understand ).

I am certain most of you have travelled to Pattaya. I wish to draw your attention to "Hamburger Denmark". These are small vends selling out Hamburgers etc. They do not occupy much area. They are serving freshly prepared food and are quite hygenic, with an open kitchen. You actually watch your food while it is cooked.

My idea is to set - up something in the line of Hamburger Denmark for North Indian grilled food. Indian food in BKK and Pattaya is limited to restaurants ( which are gloomy and shabby ). I wish to bring the North Indian Grilled foods to the streets, without compromising on the taste, hygine and quality. I have till date not eaten a decent Tandoori Chicken in Thailand over 75 + visits in the last 23 years. It just makes me think.............. There is enough grilled chicken ( Thai Style ) going around all of BKK & Pattaya. Why not have an Indian grilled food outlet ?

Juji, I agree with your suggestion of doing something on the fusion line. Should not be a problem. But I would probably consider that at a much later stage & after getting a fair understanding about doing business in Thailand.

Let me have your views ....... Gentlemen..

[GuestHouse]

One observation.

Thais, in general, will not eat Indian food.

You will of course have plenty of foreigners around so if you are aiming at purely foreign customers you should be OK.

Once a foreigner is hooked up with a Thai you might loose them as customers.

[thaihome]

Why not have an Indian grilled food outlet ?

IMHO I think you have a pretty good marketing idea. To the best of knowledge and experience, Indian food is now the UK national food and there is certainly any number of Brits in Pattaya.

Also, it has been my experience, that once you get a Thai to try Indian food they find they like it a lot. My wife insists on going to our local Indian kitchen at least once a week. Usually the 5 or 6 Thai-Farang (mostly Brits) couples here go out together. I should note this is in China.

TH

[GuestHouse]

I should note this is in China

Daya Bay?

[Crash999]

Let me have your views ....... Gentlemen..

I think it's a great idea for Pattaya... Don't go crazy with costs or your overhead will kill you. I see that a lot with restaurants here in Bangkok- great concepts but the cash flow just can't sustain the initial investment.

A late night curry near the bars would do me well.

[britmaveric]

Good Indian Place in Jomtien Beach. Can't remember the name of it- didnt get past starters since my tailor was paying. (seemed like 15 starters)

Anyways you'll def get a small market for the locals since they hate indian food- I tell them its too spicey! There is a faire few english in Pattaya so I'd dare say if good you might be profitable- course what is profitable in Thailand is nothing anywhere else.

[bhawani]

Loads og good points there. Thank you everyone !

I agree, the Thais don't dig Indian food nor the Indian people. I have over my years of travel to Thailand formed some theories over this realisation. Wonder if these make any sense to you guys here, but I will leave that for you to decide.

1.)Thailand was never colonised. The reason is very evident anyone that lives or travels to Thailand has to learn the Thai language to get around. When you cannot teach the local people of a nation a foreign language, you cannot possibly command them.

2.) The reason the Thais haven't developed a taste for food other than Thai food, is because they must like the aroma/ fragrance of the food to eat it and the food must have a colourful / artistic appeal. Indian food has a distinct aroma, but like a Thai friend once commented (over dinner I had invited them out to an Indian restaurant ) " every dish in the Indian food looks brown or at most yellow, wheather it is Peas or chicken or whatever". I pondered over this remark to realise she did have a solid point ! During a later trip I did rectify that. I was invited to her home for dinner and I insisted on cooking lamb. "My" Indian style for the guests that evening. There were quite a few farang accompanied by their Thai wifes. I made it a point to put out a large portion of the lamb on the table where the Thai ladies were dining. To everybodys surprise the lamb was imbibed in quite a jiffy. Besides being proud that I managed to reach the Thai palate, I had a request from my friend through a mail for me to send her the recipe of the lamb I had cooked "that evening at her baan".

As for a good point someone has raised about the Indians not being a very like community in most countries over the globe. I am in total agreement. However, if one looks into this more closely, it is not difficult to understand why ? The reason is very simple. The Indian population is second to China in size. Most Indians that settle in other countries (in 90% cases) are in the "HAVE NOT" catagory in India. People who are comfortable and belong to a educated and rich backgrounds will NEVER settle abroad. Life is too comfortable in India for them. Any of you who have travelled to India & have friends here would not find it difficult to understand what I have said here.

Coming back to the point, there is no doubt the British enjoy Indian food. A farang married to a Thai lady is a 50/50 likely chance that he would grab an Indian meal when on his own. I have met people from other European countries in Thailand, who have travelled to New Delhi. They have repeatedly asked me, where they could get a Good Indian Tandoori Chicken ? " For that you'll have to wait for my restaurant & take away my friends" I had always retorted.

Most of you might agree that Indian food has not hit street in Thailand. It is usually restricted to either food courts in malls in Bkk. or proper restaurants in other parts of Thailand. My intention is to bring it to the street level quality, quantity, authenticity & hygine uncompromised !!

Atleast that is my intention & hearts desire. We'll wait and see how it goes.

I would like to have views and comments from all you friends. It definately expands my knowledge & adds to my though !!