A Real Burger Bar In Bkk

[Desertexile]

Has anyone ever been to this burger bar? It’s mainly in the States and the Middle East.

http://www.johnnyrockets.com/themenu/menu1.pdf

I rate the burgers, I like the happy days décor and find it a pretty chilled place to eat, read the paper and enjoy a proper burger, fries etc.

McDonalds, Burger King etc are vile, add to the fact that since watching fast food nation the thought that there’s ‘too much shit in the meat’ has put me well off this type of fast food. Thing is, would people pay twice the price in Thailand for a far superior product?

Anyways, do you think a place like this would work in BKK? Perhaps a franchise, perhaps copied?

Cheers Gents

[JohnBKKK]

Has anyone ever been to this burger bar? It’s mainly in the States and the Middle East.

http://www.johnnyrockets.com/themenu/menu1.pdf

I rate the burgers, I like the happy days décor and find it a pretty chilled place to eat, read the paper and enjoy a proper burger, fries etc.

McDonalds, Burger King etc are vile, add to the fact that since watching fast food nation the thought that there’s ‘too much shit in the meat’ has put me well off this type of fast food. Thing is, would people pay twice the price in Thailand for a far superior product?

Anyways, do you think a place like this would work in BKK? Perhaps a franchise, perhaps copied?

Cheers Gents

Thai's spemd a fortune on KFC/Mac/Pizza Hut rtc.. .... certainly not because of the quality of the food .. but because of their very succesfull marketing campaigns ...... consider the average income and the prices they charge for c.....

Anything can work here if you have enough money to throw at it ......location and marketing ... and I mean a LOT of money

[onethailand]

Johnny Rockets wants an arm and a leg for a franchise. Not sure they're even in Asia.

Fatburger is, though - and I'm hoping they will come to Thailand soon

[Desertexile]

Thai's spemd a fortune on KFC/Mac/Pizza Hut rtc.. .... certainly not because of the quality of the food .. but because of their very succesfull marketing campaigns ...... consider the average income and the prices they charge for c.....

Anything can work here if you have enough money to throw at it ......location and marketing ... and I mean a LOT of money

To be honest - I cant see this type of deal popular with Thais with families - its more a place for Thais who fancy something different. The main aim would be farangs wantinga slice of home.

[Desertexile]

Johnny Rockets wants an arm and a leg for a franchise. Not sure they're even in Asia.

Fatburger is, though - and I'm hoping they will come to Thailand soon

They bascially want to see a Net worth of 500K USD - this should include 200K USD working capital. Thats not the franchise cost though obviously.

They might be in Thailand or have plans to be

Fatburger? Humm

[DP25]

I'd certainly eat there, but I dunno how many Thais would. KFC, Pizza Company, McDonald's, etc all change their menu a lot so Thais will eat it. Just look at some of the disgusting food they are making at Pizza Company that is a hit with Thais, pizza with a mayonaisy thousand island sauce, imitation crab stick, shrimp, pineapple and weird dipping sauces. And McDonalds doesn't even sell quarter pounders since most Thais don't eat beef.

[JohnBKKK]

When I was working in Manhattan, I used to have a place in Westport Connecticut and there, just outside of town was what I would call a great burger place.

I have already aired my opinion about the cr... MCD, BK, PH, etc.. serve. To open a place like this here, you do not need to spend a fortune on franchise fees etc.., just a half way decent location and marketing capital.

As you walk in, you come to a kind of Butchers counter with pre-weight pieces of lean Beef (1.4 pounder - 1/2 pounder - 1/1 pounder and 1/8 pounder for Kinds) ) in the cooler- you choose your piece by weight and the chap puts it through the mincer in front of you. You choose your spices - cajun, standard, medium or spicy - and he fries the burger on the flame Grill to your liking - while someone else prepares your fries made from chunky pieces of un-peeled Idaho potatoes - when ready you take your plate, pay and proceed to the condiment counter where you choose your own dressing, sauces salads etc.. proceed to your table and eat the best burger ever.. even the "French fries" were worth a trip there-

Since the staff was well trained and knew what they were doing, the whole prodedure took no more than 5 minutes all together before you were standing in front of the salad bar. Even during busy times, you could choose your beef, sit at your table and when your number came up, pick up your burger and proceed to the salad bar..... never had to wait more than 10 minutes over all... the only problem was the beer ..... US prime whee....

A place like this in Phuket or a good area in BKK would most certainly be a great success with expats and those Thais who love beef

[JR Texas]

I'd certainly eat there, but I dunno how many Thais would. KFC, Pizza Company, McDonald's, etc all change their menu a lot so Thais will eat it. Just look at some of the disgusting food they are making at Pizza Company that is a hit with Thais, pizza with a mayonaisy thousand island sauce, imitation crab stick, shrimp, pineapple and weird dipping sauces. And McDonalds doesn't even sell quarter pounders since most Thais don't eat beef.

I would love a great hamburger.......never had one in Thailand and been here off and on for over two decades........never had good pizza......never had good Mexican food..........BUT.......this is Thailand.

Targeting Thais is a real challenge as they refuse to eat virtually anything that is not Thai (at first), so you have to advertise and market/modify the product to fit their weird tastes.

On the other hand, targeting foreigners is also a major challenge because of the mixture......Russian, American, British, French, Norweigian, etc.

I would avoid a franchise and no need for one with a simple hamburger. Be aware that Thailand is going downhill fast.......it is far from what it used to be and other countries in the region are rising up to fill the void.

There is a strong anti-foreigner/business attitude in Thailand now.......xenophobia comes to mind.

Also, the $$$ is in Bangkok, one of the worst cities on the planet in terms of heat, humidity, traffic and pollution........other places that were once good have gone bad (e.g., Pattaya and Jomtien).

Note that a guy from Texas started a Texas BBQ place in Pattaya......but for some reason focused on hamburgers. His place went under, to the best of my limited knowledge (in China at the moment).

I liked the guy and talked with him about his business operations. He told me about the terrible quality of ground beef in Thailand. His solution was to "make his own" using quality cuts of meat.

A small kiosk type of hamburger place at a select location selling both grilled hamburgers and hot dogs might work.........but you just need to come here and ask around. On TF you will get hundreds of Love Thailand or Leave It people.......most are too bias to give you what you need to know (some would say I am too biased on the negative side). Make up your own mind.

One final thing: LOS has turned into the land of thieves, liars, and cheats........I would never start a business here no matter how good the concept. It is an extremely anti-business environment, especially small businesses run and operated by foreigners.

[lomatopo]

There is a restaurant modeled on Johnny Rockets in Central World (not Triple-O/Wet Spot or Mos Burgers), on the 7th floor in a corridor heading towards the old cinema and MK. I'm blanking on the name. There may be other outlets

While apparently not popular with westerners, Mos Burgers clearly has the Thai burger market in hand. Some of these silly comments about Thais not liking foreign food are perplexing. One merely needs to spend a day or two out and about to put these sort of thoughts to rest.

[Gary A]

Hamburgers have had their reputation ruined by McDonalds and Burger King. No one should call those real hamburgers.

A good hamburger shop would have to be in a farang area because many Thais won't eat beef. It's not a religious thing, they just won't eat it because of their respect for the draft animals that worked in the fields to feed them for so many years.

You would definitely have to grind your own hamburger. You need grain fed beef to get any beef flavor. One of my treats when in Bangkok is to go to Bully's Pub for a decent hamburger. As far as the many places that claim to have good hamburgers, they don't have a clue what is good. If I want a spicy sausage sandwich, I'll order pork sausage.

[onethailand]

There is a restaurant modeled on Johnny Rockets in Central World (not Triple-O/Wet Spot or Mos Burgers), on the 7th floor in a corridor heading towards the old cinema and MK. I'm blanking on the name. There may be other outlets

While apparently not popular with westerners, Mos Burgers clearly has the Thai burger market in hand. Some of these silly comments about Thais not liking foreign food are perplexing. One merely needs to spend a day or two out and about to put these sort of thoughts to rest.

Garage. Owned by my daughter's classmate's family. And there's one in All Seasons Place as well.

Triple-O is much closer to the Johnny Rocket concept.

[lomatopo]

Garage. Owned by my daughter's classmate's family. And there's one in All Seasons Place as well.

Triple-O is much closer to the Johnny Rocket concept.

Right, The Garage Burger and Grill. I confess I've never eaten at The Garage nor Triple-O but have eaten at Johnny Rocket's a number of times. I might have been associating the the decor/theme at the Garage, observed just walking by the outside, with Johnny Rocket's more than the menu items, although The Garage does seem to push the burger theme.

How is Triple-O doing these days? I still rarely see more than one or two people, if that, eating there. I am usally walking by at least twice during the work-week, on my way to/from Mos Burgers.

[lomatopo]

A good hamburger shop would have to be in a farang area because many Thais won't eat beef. It's not a religious thing, they just won't eat it because of their respect for the draft animals that worked in the fields to feed them for so many years.

I stay part of the year in Kalasin (Isan) and it seems like just about every rice farmer is raising one of more head of cattle for slaughter. I see hundreds every day grazing not drafting, and there is a government slaughter house nearby which seems quite active judgiing by the trucks that rumble by. I think this is a huge business. So not a whole lot of respect, other than for the extra income, and somebody must be eating all that beef.

Oddly enough, given the prevalence of pork here, I have never, ever seen a hog (live or whole), but have seen a few smaller pigs being barbequed whole, or sides hanging at road-side displays. I guess the pork business may be more centralized and industrialized?

[Gary A]

A good hamburger shop would have to be in a farang area because many Thais won't eat beef. It's not a religious thing, they just won't eat it because of their respect for the draft animals that worked in the fields to feed them for so many years.

I stay part of the year in Kalasin (Isan) and it seems like just about every rice farmer is raising one of more head of cattle for slaughter. I see hundreds every day grazing not drafting, and there is a government slaughter house nearby which seems quite active judgiing by the trucks that rumble by. I think this is a huge business. So not a whole lot of respect, other than for the extra income, and somebody must be eating all that beef.

Oddly enough, given the prevalence of pork here, I have never, ever seen a hog (live or whole), but have seen a few smaller pigs being barbequed whole, or sides hanging at road-side displays. I guess the pork business may be more centralized and industrialized?

I can tell you all about pork. There is a pig farm about 300 meters from my house. When the wind is right, the smell is disgusting. They must have those pigs really packed in. Pigs in this area never see the sunlight.

Raising beef for the market is one thing. Eating it is another.

[onethailand]

Garage. Owned by my daughter's classmate's family. And there's one in All Seasons Place as well.

Triple-O is much closer to the Johnny Rocket concept.

Right, The Garage Burger and Grill. I confess I've never eaten at The Garage nor Triple-O but have eaten at Johnny Rocket's a number of times. I might have been associating the the decor/theme at the Garage, observed just walking by the outside, with Johnny Rocket's more than the menu items, although The Garage does seem to push the burger theme.

How is Triple-O doing these days? I still rarely see more than one or two people, if that, eating there. I am usally walking by at least twice during the work-week, on my way to/from Mos Burgers.

Strangely enough, thanks to you - I went to Triple-O after my post.

The burger did not taste as good as last time I went. I'd almost swear that the meat wasn't fresh. Was still a decent burger, but something just wasn't right - maybe not enough BC sauce, or perhaps it was the egg I added.

At the time, there were three people at one table - and after I sat down, a few more people came as well.

Mos Burger definitely better value for money.

Garage - well, I've been disappointed twice, so I'm not about to give them a chance for strike three. The decor is pretty straightforward, old signs and 50s-type memorabilia. Johnny Rocket's, on the other hand, looks like a 50s-type diner - which had very little of this type of memorabilia.

I have been toying with the idea of a diner in Thailand for ages. Trouble is, I don't have enough leisure time or finances to create such a concept.

[Zatara]

Ive been back to Thailand for about 3 months. And what I missed the most is a good burger from In & Out. (http://www.in-n-out.com/) They're just a fast food place with 3-4 selections, but all of them are good.

Thai don't eat beef? nah... It's just that Thai beef is not as delicious as the US beef.

[JohnBKKK]

Ive been back to Thailand for about 3 months. And what I missed the most is a good burger from In & Out. (http://www.in-n-out.com/) They're just a fast food place with 3-4 selections, but all of them are good.

Thai don't eat beef? nah... It's just that Thai beef is not as delicious as the US beef.

Hi,

one can not say that "Thai's" dont eat beef, its just a percentage of the population that doesn't .... in my estimation, I would say 1/3 but the rest love beef .. consider places like a well know Thai steak house near Rangsit with a branch in 23 ... can't remember the name of it, but the Rangsit branch is always busy so are places like "Steak Lao" etc... one of the problems is that a lot of Thai restaurants have beef on their menu and call it US Tenderloin but when it comes its actually Isan Buffalo - since most Thais don't know US Tendederloin .. its not surprising that they are not too impressed with the tough chewy piece of meat on their plate ....

[jEFFREYk44]

Chokchai Steak house

[JR Texas]

Chokchai Steak house

Before this I was at a university in Isan (totally corrupt to the core and worthless like all universities in Thailand)........surrounding it were small shops that were selling beef. There were several shops. Periodically a "happy cow" was taken to the slaughter site and killed on the spot, cut up, and the hind legs were sold to the shop owners. The owners would leave the meat out in the sun for days with no ice or anything, just a red towel to cover it and keep the bacteria from escaping. Many locals were eating it (and no doubt getting sick).

[bangsaenguy]

I'd certainly eat there, but I dunno how many Thais would. KFC, Pizza Company, McDonald's, etc all change their menu a lot so Thais will eat it. Just look at some of the disgusting food they are making at Pizza Company that is a hit with Thais, pizza with a mayonaisy thousand island sauce, imitation crab stick, shrimp, pineapple and weird dipping sauces. And McDonalds doesn't even sell quarter pounders since most Thais don't eat beef.

I would love a great hamburger.......never had one in Thailand and been here off and on for over two decades........never had good pizza......never had good Mexican food..........BUT.......this is Thailand.

Targeting Thais is a real challenge as they refuse to eat virtually anything that is not Thai (at first), so you have to advertise and market/modify the product to fit their weird tastes.

On the other hand, targeting foreigners is also a major challenge because of the mixture......Russian, American, British, French, Norweigian, etc.

I would avoid a franchise and no need for one with a simple hamburger. Be aware that Thailand is going downhill fast.......it is far from what it used to be and other countries in the region are rising up to fill the void.

There is a strong anti-foreigner/business attitude in Thailand now.......xenophobia comes to mind.

Also, the $$$ is in Bangkok, one of the worst cities on the planet in terms of heat, humidity, traffic and pollution........other places that were once good have gone bad (e.g., Pattaya and Jomtien).

Note that a guy from Texas started a Texas BBQ place in Pattaya......but for some reason focused on hamburgers. His place went under, to the best of my limited knowledge (in China at the moment).

I liked the guy and talked with him about his business operations. He told me about the terrible quality of ground beef in Thailand. His solution was to "make his own" using quality cuts of meat.

A small kiosk type of hamburger place at a select location selling both grilled hamburgers and hot dogs might work.........but you just need to come here and ask around. On TF you will get hundreds of Love Thailand or Leave It people.......most are too bias to give you what you need to know (some would say I am too biased on the negative side). Make up your own mind.

One final thing: LOS has turned into the land of thieves, liars, and cheats........I would never start a business here no matter how good the concept. It is an extremely anti-business environment, especially small businesses run and operated by foreigners.

Bob's Bar B Q alive and well and is located on soi LK Metro. He does make burgers but that is not his focus. He does a nice slab of baby back ribs along with other Texas staples such as Chicken Fried Steak.

[JR Texas]

I'd certainly eat there, but I dunno how many Thais would. KFC, Pizza Company, McDonald's, etc all change their menu a lot so Thais will eat it. Just look at some of the disgusting food they are making at Pizza Company that is a hit with Thais, pizza with a mayonaisy thousand island sauce, imitation crab stick, shrimp, pineapple and weird dipping sauces. And McDonalds doesn't even sell quarter pounders since most Thais don't eat beef.

I would love a great hamburger.......never had one in Thailand and been here off and on for over two decades........never had good pizza......never had good Mexican food..........BUT.......this is Thailand.

Targeting Thais is a real challenge as they refuse to eat virtually anything that is not Thai (at first), so you have to advertise and market/modify the product to fit their weird tastes.

On the other hand, targeting foreigners is also a major challenge because of the mixture......Russian, American, British, French, Norweigian, etc.

I would avoid a franchise and no need for one with a simple hamburger. Be aware that Thailand is going downhill fast.......it is far from what it used to be and other countries in the region are rising up to fill the void.

There is a strong anti-foreigner/business attitude in Thailand now.......xenophobia comes to mind.

Also, the $$$ is in Bangkok, one of the worst cities on the planet in terms of heat, humidity, traffic and pollution........other places that were once good have gone bad (e.g., Pattaya and Jomtien).

Note that a guy from Texas started a Texas BBQ place in Pattaya......but for some reason focused on hamburgers. His place went under, to the best of my limited knowledge (in China at the moment).

I liked the guy and talked with him about his business operations. He told me about the terrible quality of ground beef in Thailand. His solution was to "make his own" using quality cuts of meat.

A small kiosk type of hamburger place at a select location selling both grilled hamburgers and hot dogs might work.........but you just need to come here and ask around. On TF you will get hundreds of Love Thailand or Leave It people.......most are too bias to give you what you need to know (some would say I am too biased on the negative side). Make up your own mind.

One final thing: LOS has turned into the land of thieves, liars, and cheats........I would never start a business here no matter how good the concept. It is an extremely anti-business environment, especially small businesses run and operated by foreigners.

Bob's Bar B Q alive and well and is located on soi LK Metro. He does make burgers but that is not his focus. He does a nice slab of baby back ribs along with other Texas staples such as Chicken Fried Steak.

Good to know.....nice person.....thought he went under, but just moved from his old location (I guess.). His chicken friend steak is real good. Even serves it with cream gravy. Just saw his website.......if I were the OP, I would take a look at it along with the prices (too high for this cheap Charlie). His menu seems to be the result of a person that is not totally sure about what he wants to do.......create a burger joint, smoked BBQ joint, home-style cooking joint, Mexican food joint........wish I had a joint :D but quit that years ago. Here is a tip for the OP: focus on one thing/theme and make your logistic problems simple. Having said that, if by some miracle you can get quality ground beef in Thailand AT A REASONABLE PRICE, the burger concept might work.

[Dissolution]

The owners would leave the meat out in the sun for days with no ice or anything, just a red towel to cover it and keep the bacteria from escaping. Many locals were eating it (and no doubt getting sick).

Sun-dried beef is one of the standard Issan dishes. I've eaten it a couple of times, and it was pretty good. Never fallen sick from it though.

[JR Texas]

You need grain fed beef to get any beef flavor.

Nonsense. I thought I well and truly busted this complete myth on the other beef thread?

Once again, free range grass grazed cattle are far superior to pen fed animals raised on grain not to mention the obvious facts that grain fed animals are pumped full of chemicals and raised in a stressful environment.

I think I know where you are coming from.........but free range cattle in Thailand are eating free range poisonous grass/rice scraps. The water is polluted.......the soil is toxic......whatever you grow on it is contaminated with pesticides.

In addition, the free range cattle in Thailand are usually (not always) extremely thin......that means they have less fat and do not taste the same and pen-fed cattle that have been on a high protein/carbohydrate diet.

Not sure what the solution is..........but for most foreigners, I think Thai beef does not measure up to the imported stuff. I have talked with professional butchers about this in Cambodia. They tend to agree with what I just said about the free range cattle in Southeast Asia.

I suppose you could free range the cattle and then fatten them up for about one or two months prior to slaughter with a high-protein/carbohydrate diet in pen-fed conditions. But, that would not remove the pesticides from an contaminated environment.