The Thai Restaurant Association has called on the new government to introduce an emergency “90-day rescue plan” within its first three months in office to prevent widespread closures across the hospitality sector. Industry leaders are demanding a three-month injection of liquidity to counter rising operational costs and weakening consumer spending. The proposal was outlined on Sunday, 15 February 2026.

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Thaniwan Kulmongkol, president of the Association, said the sector can no longer wait for long-term structural reforms. She urged the administration to be “fast-acting, receptive, and inclusive” during its first 90 days. Businesses are currently facing what she described as a combination of surging costs and subdued consumer demand.

As part of the plan, the Association is calling for the revival of co-payment schemes similar to the previous Kon La Khrueng (Half-and-Half) initiative. Thaniwan described the scheme as a “gold standard” intervention, noting that although it was not exclusively for restaurants, it benefited more than one million small-scale operators and 20 million consumers. She said its success stemmed from effective consultation between the government and private sector.

In contrast, she criticised recent “Soft Power” initiatives, stating that despite strong political promotion they failed to deliver practical results. According to Thaniwan, a lack of consultation with industry practitioners resulted in measures that were “impractical for real-world business”.

The Association’s proposals include targeted government spending to boost purchasing power and help venues manage high raw material costs. It has also suggested hosting major food festivals in 10 key provinces to stimulate domestic tourism if direct subsidies are not introduced. A longer-term proposal, the ‘Super Street Food’ project, aims to formalise and promote regional specialities, beginning with Khao Gaeng (curry and rice) stalls.

The group also raised concerns about foreign entrepreneurs from China, South Korea and Western countries “harvesting” Thai recipes to open profitable businesses abroad without Thai involvement. It warned that without stronger domestic support and strategic planning, Thailand could lose economic opportunities linked to its culinary reputation.

The Nation reported that the Association is seeking direct involvement in policy-making to ensure any stimulus measures are workable and aligned with industry needs. The government has yet to formally respond to the proposal.

Cover picture courtesy of The Nation

Key Takeaways

• The Thai Restaurant Association is demanding a 90-day rescue plan including a three-month liquidity injection.

• It is calling for the revival of the Kon La Khrueng co-payment scheme, which previously supported over one million operators and 20 million consumers.

• The group wants a formal role in policy-making and warns of rising foreign competition.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 17 Feb 2026

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I think the Thai Restaurant Association is missing the bigger picture here.

Their complaint about foreign entrepreneurs “harvesting” Thai recipes abroad feels misplaced. Thai food has long been a global favourite, and it’s only natural that chefs and restaurateurs worldwide will adapt and profit from it.

Expecting Thailand to somehow control or profit from every pad thai sold in London or Seoul is simply farcical!

Instead of worrying about what others are doing overseas, the focus should be on strengthening the domestic industry.

The real issue seems to be oversaturation at home. Walk down any street in Bangkok and you’ll see countless restaurants, cafes, and food stalls competing for the same shrinking pool of customers.

Rising costs and weaker consumer spending only make that competition harsher. Injecting liquidity or reviving co-payment schemes might provide temporary relief, but it doesn’t solve the structural problem of just too many players chasing too little demand.

If the industry wants long-term sustainability, it should be looking at consolidation and quality improvements rather than expecting government bailouts every time the market tightens.

Food festivals and “Super Street Food” projects sound nice, but they don’t address the elephant in the room - Thailand’s hospitality sector is overcrowded, and until that’s acknowledged, no 90-day rescue plan will fix the underlying problem.

Perhaps they should stop trying to sell hamburgers as Mama Burgers and stick to pad thai!

Dear Thai Restaurant Association - were any Thai restauranteurs forced to open restaurants? Most people who open restaurants choose to do so, they have made a business choice, when that choice was a "bad" one, then the people/person responsible should accept the consequences. Just like opening a bar, people choose to do so, some times the bars are "successful" (for a time), other times the business "fails" and is forced to close.

What should tax payers help people who made a bad choice in opening their business?

Why is business bad? Too much competition!!!!

why they complain,no inflation in thailand

The problem is thais see a restaraunt opening and doing ok so they open one themselves serving the same they are not good entrepreneurs

Restaurants are one of the most imput-intensive and failure prone businesses, but everyone thinks they can do it. Whenever is see one I think, I'd never want to run it, the money is in being the landlord.

re

Look at the downfall of the West. Crybaby capitalism led to misallocation of capital and the end of creative destruction. Zombie corporations are still at the government tit and the general public is worse off for it. The best cure for too many restaurants is too many restaurants. The weak will fail and the strong will pick up their customers.

Ŕelax.

Thainess in progress.🙃🙃

Restaurants are business and business means taking risks..... There far too many restaurants in Thailand and all fishing in the same pond.. No wonder nobody earns anything... The best will survive...No need to help them. they have to find their own solutions..

Serve better food, give better service, or lower your prices and the customers will come .. but too much pay for average food and /or bad service is chasing customers away. It is their business and their risk and their policy, let the government out of it..

Think and invent instead of holding up your hands