Say goodbye to Big Carl as Carl’s Jr leaves Thailand by the end of March

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, Sparktrader said:

Fat and salt arent bad for you.

 

Tell that to your cardiologist, next time you see him/her.... ????

 

[Sparktrader]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Tell that to your cardiologist, next time you see him/her.... ????

 

Proven fact. Carbs are killing people.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So.... in the  coming absence of Carl's Jr. from Thailand, what's your current, remaining FAVORITE hamburger/hamburger place in Thailand?

 

Especially in BKK, there are A LOT to choose from!

 

At moderate prices, I like Prime Burgers on Sukhumvit quite a bit..  And I know they're still open, having ordered delivery from them lately.

 

I tried a burger via delivery from this relatively new place in BKK recently -- Little Market Burgers. The taste was OK, but the portion was pretty small relative to a pretty high price for a basic burger.

 

The several Arno's Burgers branches are OK, though I like the taste of the beef from Prime Burgers better.

 

At at the higher end, NY Steak and Burgers on Suk Soi 22 used to do quite good burgers, though I haven't been there in a long while. (Ooops!  Google Maps says it's "permanently closed")... Another victim...

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

Would love to get Jack in the Box tacos. Otherwise, Mos Burger.

The Jack in The Box tacos do have quite the cult following.  When I was back in California last month I had a few of them along with Chick-fil-A, and In-N-Out........

Edited March 16, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So.... in the  coming absence of Carl's Jr. from Thailand, what's your current, remaining FAVORITE hamburger/hamburger place in Thailand?

 

Especially in BKK, there are A LOT to choose from!

 

At moderate prices, I like Prime Burgers on Sukhumvit quite a bit..  And I know they're still open, having ordered delivery from them lately.

 

At at the higher end, NY Steak and Burgers on Suk Soi 22 used to do quite good burgers, though I haven't been there in a long while. (Ooops!  Google Maps say it's "permanently closed")... Another victim...

 

Arno's is not to bad here in BKK, but then I have not found any place like we have back in the west. However, in Phuket I found a good burger at Big Boys Burger Club

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Kinnock said:

Pretty much the same menu .... different names.  

Which one on the Thai menu is the Mega Jack ?

[BKKBike09]

31 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Outside Nana Plaza about 2 AM? Not sure if they were the best but they were the best at 2AM.

You're forgetting Tom's Quik ...

[new2here]

Given their sourcing limitations, and with only 6 or so outlets, it was tough to really reach a point of viable and sustainable scalability.. Folks like McDonalds naturally will have a far easier time reaching that point with their hundreds of outlets.

 

I also think that the past 2 years have really put western type dine-in places in a hard spot as many were already naturally priced on the medium to higher end of the overall QSR (quick serve restaurant) spectrum and as households started to trim back their budgets, that type of expense was probably one of the first to be impacted. 

[Misterwhisper]

12 hours ago, EdrigoSalvadore said:

I will miss them. Hard to find hard quality food around Pattaya

Ever tried Thai food? Or is that not "quality" enough for you? Just curious...

[ThailandRyan]

10 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Ever tried Thai food? Or is that not "quality" enough for you? Just curious...

Sometimes a person wants something different and something that brings a memory back to life once again.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

14 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Sometimes a person wants something different and something that brings a memory back to life once again.

 

My wife eats the som tum in the family... And I eat the burgers.... Though being from Sakon Nakhon, every time I order beef burgers, she wants some of those too!  ????

 

[bbko]

Another mistake Carl's Jr did was renting out of the most expensive malls in Pattaya, I'm guessing the monthly rent is in the 100k range.

[nightfox]

11 hours ago, wombat said:

Really?

I went to try their burgers on the recomdation of an American friend and I found them to be so ordinary I haven't gone back for a second one.

Well compare to the other burgers from the other American fast food chain restaurants in Thailand Carl Jr's are above the rest.

[KhunLA]

15 minutes ago, nightfox said:

Well compare to the other burgers from the other American fast food chain restaurants in Thailand Carl Jr's are above the rest.

Carl's ... BK clone, and only good thing about them.  CharBroiled like BK

BK first with 'Inst-burger' back in 1953 ish & Carl's around 1960.

 

Both superior to the rest, subject to franchise's attention to detail. 

Some good, most c r a p.  Burger way down on the list when out dining.

[Pattaya Spotter]

Too bad...probably the best milkshakes in Thailand; good thing there are Prime Burger outlets in Phuket and Pattaya.

[Pattaya Spotter]

8 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Just hire more of them.

The problem is there aren't more "them" anymore...Thailand has for years had one of Asia's lowest birthrates.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Pattaya Spotter

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Sometimes a person wants something different and something that brings a memory back to life once again.

I accept that. I love a substantial and tasty burger from time to time and Carl's Jr.'s were goood. However, what irked me in the original posters comment was his notion that Pattaya didn't have enough quality food around, making it sound like he exclusively lived on burgers and other western fast food fare.

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, nightfox said:

Well compare to the other burgers from the other American fast food chain restaurants in Thailand Carl Jr's are above the rest.

Oh dear......

[herfiehandbag]

8 hours ago, Taboo2 said:

Thailand should get rid of all Western Fast Food or else in 10 years they will be obese like Americans!   FACT!

As soon as I see a post dictating what Thailand and Thais (or anyone else for that matter) should do, and containing the bellowed "FACT" I immediately blank it! It is, after all only your opinion!

 

But then I am a miserable uppity old so and so with this bizarre belief that people should be free to live their lives more or less as they please...

[herfiehandbag]

8 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

There are many Hungry Jacks in Thailand. They are called Burger King here, as they are everywhere else in the world apart from Australia and New Zealand. Wikipedia explains why. I knew the man who owned the franchise in NZ.

We don't have anything here in Chiang Rai except McDs, and a very tasty place called "Heaven Burger" - run, coincidentally, by a very tasty young lady!

 

I think Chiang Mai has a "Burger King". I ate there a few years ago after a most distressing episode. I had been quietly sitting in the corner of a bar, sipping a beer and generally minding my own business when there was a blinding flash of light and I was suddenly struck drunk, then accosted by some casually (very) dressed young ladies who seemed determined to get to know me extraordinarily well. I fought them off manfully for oh, three hours or so until, enfeebled and impoverished, I managed to escape and made my way back to my hotel.  A burger seemed a good idea at the time - it was OK!

[herfiehandbag]

7 hours ago, Real Name Hidden said:

Their marketing was brilliant, here with Paris Hilton

 

 

How very innovative - are they suggesting that you should eat their burgers whilst washing your car wearing only your underpants?

 

Mind you, I haven't heard from Paris Hilton for some while - probably too busy with her carwash business.

Edited March 16, 2022 by herfiehandbag

[Bangkok Barry]

27 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

We don't have anything here in Chiang Rai except McDs, and a very tasty place called "Heaven Burger" - run, coincidentally, by a very tasty young lady!

If it also sells proper tasty (non-Thai) beer then you might never want to leave ????

[Xonax]

I tried Carls Jr. a few times right after they opened in thIland, but since they both times refused to let me have a bottle of water instead of soft drinks when ordering a set menu, I have given them a miss ever since. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

BK first with 'Inst-burger' back in 1953 ish & Carl's around 1960.

I hadn't realized that BK went back that far, even farther than McDonald's by one year:

 

"McDonald's and Burger King started in the franchise food business in 1955 and 1954, respectively.  McDonald's has always been the larger company, but each firm has unquestionably influenced the other throughout their six-decade-plus rivalry."

 

An interesting article comparing the two:

 

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/111015/mcdonalds-vs-burger-king-comparing-business-models.asp

 

These days, when I eat McDonald's in Thailand, it's usually their breakfast items like pancakes or sausage and egg McMuffins, etc etc...  Usually give their actual hamburgers a pass...

 

Though BK's Whoppers in Thailand are at least edible, kinda... especially if you ask them to actually fresh cook your burger patty instead of taking it off the shelf (warmer tray), as I believe they would typically otherwise do.

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, Xonax said:

I tried Carls Jr. a few times right after they opened in thIland, but since they both times refused to let me have a bottle of water instead of soft drinks when ordering a set menu, I have given them a miss ever since. 

 

I believe they must have changed that along the way somewhere, because I've had bottles of water from them in the past, in lieu of their unlimited re-fill soda fountains.

 

Though at least at all their BKK branches I ever visited, they also always had a separate dispenser of unsweetened tea that was available to serve iced tea.
 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If nothing else, Carl's Jr. TH will always live in my memories for bringing jalapeno burgers to Thailand, which has to combine just about two of the best edible things you could pair together -- a beef hamburger patty along with sliced jalapenos!!!  ????

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Too bad...probably the best milkshakes in Thailand; good thing there are Prime Burger outlets in Phuket and Pattaya.

 

Glad we could find common ground on at least that -- Prime Burgers and Carl's Jr. milkshakes, the latter soon to depart these hallowed grounds.  ????

 

[impulse]

3 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Ever tried Thai food? Or is that not "quality" enough for you? Just curious...

Sometimes, I just want a chunk of ground up cow...  With fries.

[userabcd]

Noticed that American pancake chain IHOP in mega bangna is also gone.

[kickstart]

Must the wrong side of the big pond ........never herd of Carl's Jr.