Phuket Restaurant Prices - Dual Pricing

[Banana7]

Phuket restaurant prices, especially in the Patong area, are very high compared to other tourist locations in Thailand. 2 weeks ago, in Patong beach, I paid 120 and 150 baht for a bowl of vegetable and pork soup, which normally costs 50 or 60 in Pattaya. The Phuket soup wasn't any different than the Pattaya soup, in size or quality. The staff serving customers, in all restaurants that I visited, weren't even Thai but did speak Thai.

 

Now, in Thai social media, there are reports of dual restaurant pricing. Basil pork costs 100b if ordered from the Thai language menu, but if ordered from the English language menu, the exact same dish costs 200b. This restaurant is located on a cliff, not in Patong but very near it.

 

If you're going to Phuket, be prepared to be gouged by the taxi mafia and the restaurants. Maybe best for foreigners, to avoid Phuket altogether, lots of nice beaches elsewhere in Thailand.

 

I know National Park entrance fees are 5 times higher for foreigners,  many attractions like the aquarium in Pattaya and some hospitals have dual pricing. Dual pricing has been approved by Thai courts as legitimate. It seems everything is heading towards dual pricing in Thailand, even food. Amazing Thailand!

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by Banana7

[Don Dunkelblum]

Dual pricing has been approved by Thai courts as legitimate:

 

If this is true, it is allowed to discriminate in Thailand.

I might be wrong but I thought there are laws against this. 

 

Anyone knows if this is happening as well in Cambodia?

Maybe time to make a move.

[ThailandRyan]

You sound a little jaded from your visit.  Phuket prices have always been higher then elsewhere.  I lived there for a few years before moving north so I know its not related to charging a foreigner a higher price if your hitting up the small mom and pop shops.  Eating at a higher end location comes with the higher prices.  That's why we would always choose carefully where we ate out at, but preferred to cook at home.

[London Lowf]

1 hour ago, Banana7 said:

Now, in Thai social media, there are reports of dual restaurant pricing. Basil pork costs 100b if ordered from the Thai language menu, but if ordered from the English language menu, the exact same dish costs 200b. This restaurant is located on a cliff, not in Patong but very near it.

So, your post is based on what you have read (I therefor presume that you read Thai?) on social media? If you were speaking from personal experience it might carry more weight.

 

I've spent a total of a year on Phuket and have never noticed this in restaurants. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, and I am certainly aware that Phuket is more expensive in every way than the rest of Thailand - take it or leave it.

[MajorTom]

2 hours ago, London Lowf said:

So, your post is based on what you have read (I therefor presume that you read Thai?) on social media? If you were speaking from personal experience it might carry more weight

This particular incident he mentioned is all over Thai media as we speak. National TV included.

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, MajorTom said:

This particular incident he mentioned is all over Thai media as we speak. National TV included.

Also Phuket News. It is 1 place only though, not multiple as was said earlier.

I don't mind high prices, we all have a choice, I do mind double pricing.

Edited April 14, 2022 by stevenl

[timendres]

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

fool me once shame on you--fool me 2x

 

When this happens i pay the bill and leave

 

then write a review on google maps-----that review is forever....call it karma

Why would you "pay the bill"?

You can see the double pricing on the menu.

At that point, you stand and leave.

[Salerno]

15 minutes ago, timendres said:

You can see the double pricing on the menu.

Seperate menus - Thai and English. If you don't know how likely are you to ask for the Thai version? It's not just a Phuket thing.

[timendres]

1 minute ago, Salerno said:

Seperate menus - Thai and English. If you don't know how likely are you to ask for the Thai version? It's not just a Phuket thing.

Good point. I imagined it being the same menu, which makes little sense now that I think about it.

[Salerno]

14 minutes ago, timendres said:

Good point. I imagined it being the same menu

I've seen reports of it over the years from numerous places, even a few where the tourists sat down and started looking at a Thai menu and the waitress came and swapped it with the inflated English menu. I think that was one of the first accounts I read as the tourists noticed the inflated prices and got up and left. Got to hand it to some of them, certainly sneaky buggers.

 

Edit

 

Thought I'd add a snippet from Richard Barrow (yeah, yeah, I know) written in 2018:

 

While we are on the subject of menu scams, there is in fact another one that you should be careful about. Most food shops, like in the above picture, show their menu in Thai on the wall. However, what they do in some food shops is to have a separate menu in English for tourists. I know what you are thinking, that is very kind of them. And quite often it is just that. But every now and then, there is an ulterior motive. The prices on the English menu are sometimes double of what it is on the Thai menu. Of course, most tourists won’t know that as they cannot read Thai. But if you see Thais in the same shop being given a different menu to you, then chances are high that you have the one with the inflated price. And even if you share the same menu, I was once in a food shop in a tourist area and as some Thais came in, the vendor loudly proclaimed that there is a discount for Thais. She didn’t realize that I could speak Thai. Of, course, I just got up and left the shop.

https://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2018/01/beware-of-menu-scams-in-thai-restaurants/

Edited April 14, 2022 by Salerno

[BritManToo]

6 hours ago, Salerno said:

Seperate menus - Thai and English. If you don't know how likely are you to ask for the Thai version? It's not just a Phuket thing.

Two menus, two prices is also very common in Chiang Mai, I've always ordered from the Thai menu.

[Salerno]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Two menus, two prices is also very common in Chiang Mai

I suspect it happens everywhere there is a decent size foreigner presence. I was in Maha Sarakham and the girl I was with handed back the English menu and got them to bring the Thai version, have to admit I didn't think about dual pricing at the time, just figured she was more comfortable reading the Thai menu and pointing out my favourite dishes and explaining what others I pointed out where (I really should learn to read Thai!).

[actonion]

Its been happening for Donkeys years..  I now live permanent in  East Pattaya,   but during my tourist years  in the  1980's,  before i knew bette,r I paid 100b for Cowpat while holidaying on Koh Samet.

 

Two months ago here in East Pattaya   we went to a local Thai restaurant, there  was a Menu without prices, when we asked why no prices shown they replied it all depends on who's ordering, i took that to mean dual pricing...  We left...

[actonion]

Even Laundries  in South Pattaya are dual pricing, and have been for a long time... They have a list of what they launder in English and Thai with  2 lists of prices  i asked is that  because  one price is for large,  & one price for small, the lady said no , its one price for farang,  & one for Tha,i & if you dont like it go someplace else

[zzzzz]

17 hours ago, Don Dunkelblum said:

Dual pricing has been approved by Thai courts as legitimate:

 

If this is true, it is allowed to discriminate in Thailand.

I might be wrong but I thought there are laws against this. 

 

Anyone knows if this is happening as well in Cambodia?

Maybe time to make a move.

Lived in Phuket 35 years ( 23 in Kamala)  never ate in a restaurant that had dual pricing>
Cambodia  most of the food sucks and NOT cheaper and as their poor, cant afford to menus in 2 languages....  LOL
street food.....forget it!!!
+ its cheaper in phuket to eat than in cambodia and the quality is much higher.

FYI:
now have 7/11's in Cambodia , much of the same stuff BUT it costs ya 50-100% more!!!
they even have slurpee's

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by zzzzz

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, zzzzz said:

+ its cheaper in phuket to eat than in cambodia and the quality is much higher.

Just not true, food quality is the same (they use more peanuts and coconut milk in Cambodia, less chilli's). I had this nice curry in Siam Reap, with fresh bread rolls, if you have alcohol with your meal, Cambodia will be cheaper (sex on the beach $2). Although mostly I eat Indian food in Cambodia as they are good quality everywhere.

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by BritManToo

[Mickmouse1]

Strangely enough,I have just finished a call with my m8 who is visiting DC and I was talking about Phuket and the way they cheat people there.I said " will never again go to this place" few minutes later I saw this news.

 Very true Avoid Phuket.

[Banana7]

20 hours ago, Don Dunkelblum said:

Dual pricing has been approved by Thai courts as legitimate:

 

If this is true, it is allowed to discriminate in Thailand.

I might be wrong but I thought there are laws against this. 

 

Anyone knows if this is happening as well in Cambodia?

Maybe time to make a move.

Dual pricing is approved in Thailand. There was a court case where a foreigner went to court because a Thai hospital charged him higher prices than Thai. He lost and had to pay the higher bill.

 

Go to any Thai national park. Foreigners pay 5 times the Thai entrance rate.

 

Thai law fully approves of discriminatory prices based on citizenship.

 

 

 

[Lemsta69]

this has been going on for decades. nothing you can do about it so no point whining about it. next....

[globerunner4]

BREAKING NEWS 

Phuket businesses charge Falang more than Thais. 

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

this has been going on for decades. nothing you can do about it so no point whining about it. next....

You can refuse to use places that have double pricing.

[1FinickyOne]

Not sure where you are from, but plenty of dual pricing in USA -- you are just more accustomed to it there...

 

I would expect that in Phuket they pay high rents and land costs, so prices will be higher than the soup in my village where the lady has a couple of picnic tables outside her home. 

[KhunLA]

Rare, but we've been in restaurants with 2 different priced menus.  Usually find out when wife goes in, while I'm parking, then I'll arrive and pick out or be give an English menu .... oops.

 

We just order off the Thai menu, pointing to & keeping the menu, until the bill comes, IF we actually stay.  Last time was during the 'situation' above Kanchanaburi, and we stayed, as few other options.  

[zzzzz]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Just not true, food quality is the same (they use more peanuts and coconut milk in Cambodia, less chilli's). I had this nice curry in Siam Reap, with fresh bread rolls, if you have alcohol with your meal, Cambodia will be cheaper (sex on the beach $2). Although mostly I eat Indian food in Cambodia as they are good quality everywhere.

 

food quality  not nearly the same

I agree 100%, indian food in Cambodia is good and the only cuisine i have eaten here that is cheaper.

FYI: i'll take Homok Talay over Amok seafood anyday  ????

Edited April 15, 2022 by zzzzz

[seabear]

Phu hin rong kla National Park:

Thai: 40 Baht

Falang: 500 Baht

[BusyB]

14 hours ago, Salerno said:

Seperate menus - Thai and English. If you don't know how likely are you to ask for the Thai version? It's not just a Phuket thing.

I've never come across this in LOS, but it was widespread in (northern at least) Vietnam in 2007/8 when I was there.

In one restaurant they refused to serve us what the locals were eating at another table even though we asked for it specifically. It looked great, but was not even on the menu they gave us. That was presumably the 'tourist menu' which was a list of stir fries with different ingredients - which was of diabolical presentation and taste when it came.

Several incidents like that (the last one in Hoi An where I'd progressed to from Hanoi) were why I left early and returned to LOS. Even getting correct change back was a constant hassle and in the end it wasn't worth it. That was a trip I'd looked forward to very much.

I'll give it another crack next year and try and roll it up from the south ... 

It was far far worse than anything I've ever experienced in Thailand, where you have to have your wits about you but most people and places are OK.

My experience in VT was exactly the other way round, much to the sadness of my charming Vietnamese colleague back home.

[Henryford]

Phuket is the scam capital of Thailand. Ask the price first, if too much go elsewhere.

[TigerandDog]

2 hours ago, Banana7 said:

Dual pricing is approved in Thailand. There was a court case where a foreigner went to court because a Thai hospital charged him higher prices than Thai. He lost and had to pay the higher bill.

 

Go to any Thai national park. Foreigners pay 5 times the Thai entrance rate.

 

Thai law fully approves of discriminatory prices based on citizenship.

 

 

 

only 99.8% accurate. If you have a pink ID card you pay Thai prices, if aged 60 or over entry is free. That's been my experience over the 8 years I've lived here.

[RocketDog]

15 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Phuket is the scam capital of Thailand. Ask the price first, if too much go elsewhere.

When dating my now wife I visited Phuket about 3 times.

I  still cannot understand the attraction for tourists except that it has an airport. Moreover, why Thai nationals would go there is a real mystery.

It's crowded, noisy, expensive, difficult to navigate, and the beaches crawling with so much flesh you can't see the sand. It rains and floods often and the power and water are sometimes off. One way on and off the island.

She suggested that I move from Cha-am to live with her there. I told her flatly that would never happen.

 

There is no accounting for tastes I suppose.

[hotchilli]

23 hours ago, Banana7 said:

I know National Park entrance fees are 5 times higher for foreigners,  many attractions like the aquarium in Pattaya and some hospitals have dual pricing. Dual pricing has been approved by Thai courts as legitimate. It seems everything is heading towards dual pricing in Thailand, even food. Amazing Thailand!

Vote with your feet... TiT.