American Diner In Pattaya

[Stormrider]

I'm just an 'ol Georgia boy thinking about opening an American Diner in the Pattaya area and was wondering if anyone in Pattaya has any suggestions, tips, cautions, do or don'ts about it.

Anybody know if there are any other genuine American restaurants in Pattaya? The only one I am personally aware of is the Great American Rib Company on Theparsit Rd., which had some bodacious good ribs smoked with real hickory wood when I stopped in last year. I'd love to know how that guy got that wood all the way from the states without paying a fortune for it.

My place will serve authentic american style breakfast - fresh baked biscuits - sausage gravy - deep dish omlettes, real coffee - and for lunch and dinner, I'll be serving daily set menus of "soul-food" - southern fried chicken - fried pork chops - corn bread - greens with ham hock - fried green tomatoes - salmon patties, fried cabbage - southern cole slaw,etc... And for deserts, bannana pudding, pineapple upside down cake , lemon meringue pie, pecan pie. And you can wash it all down with some real Lipton southern iced sweet tea.

Do you know if anybody else has tried this concept in Pattaya before?

Not to brag, but I'm one hel_l of a good cook.

[naka]

I think the US navy drops into Sattahip nowadays, or is it Sri Racha, whatever ?

Naka.

[Jingthing]

There is no such place in Pattaya. Great idea! Go for it. I moved south later in life but I do love that food. Biscuits and gravy, yes! If you can do real southern fried chicken, you might even attract trendy Thais away from KFC.

Can you get collard greens here? Please do. You can skip the brunswick stew though. Be sure to offer unsweetened iced tea as well. You forgot: mac and cheese, fried pork chops, squash casserole, grits, black eyed peas, sweet potato souffle, cream corn, chicken and dumplings. You also need hot pepper vinegar. You know Matthew's in Tucker? Do all that.

Some other suggestions, keep it real and down home, don't go upscale like New Orleans Cafe. For added atmospherics, hire big thick dark Isaan mamas to dish out the food (and train them to call customers sweetheart and honey), and Latino looking young Thai lads in Chicano gang outfits to give it the real American flava.

If you can offer set meals (meat and two or three) in the 200 baht range you will get a loyal expat custom.

Here are more menu ideas:

http://www.matthewscafeteria.com/

Edited March 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[kerryk]

I'm just an 'ol Georgia boy thinking about opening an American Diner in the Pattaya area and was wondering if anyone in Pattaya has any suggestions, tips, cautions, do or don'ts about it.

Anybody know if there are any other genuine American restaurants in Pattaya? The only one I am personally aware of is the Great American Rib Company on Theparsit Rd., which had some bodacious good ribs smoked with real hickory wood when I stopped in last year. I'd love to know how that guy got that wood all the way from the states without paying a fortune for it.

My place will serve authentic american style breakfast - fresh baked biscuits - sausage gravy - deep dish omlettes, real coffee - and for lunch and dinner, I'll be serving daily set menus of "soul-food" - southern fried chicken - fried pork chops - corn bread - greens with ham hock - fried green tomatoes - salmon patties, fried cabbage - southern cole slaw,etc... And for deserts, bannana pudding, pineapple upside down cake , lemon meringue pie, pecan pie. And you can wash it all down with some real Lipton southern iced sweet tea.

Do you know if anybody else has tried this concept in Pattaya before?

Not to brag, but I'm one hel_l of a good cook.

Have you or are you operating a restaurant of this sort in the US? Have you ever owned a restaurant?

[sbk]

Don't forget Chicken Fried Steak!

Just curious, how many non-North Americans would eat in such a place? That would be your deciding factor as US and Canadian tourists aren't a majority in Thailand in my experience.

[Spaniel]

You didn't say, but are you in Pattaya now? If you are then you might want to track down Bob who is the owner of Bob's Texas Barbecue. Bob is from Texas and his place is similar to what you are interested in opening. He is located off Soi Dianah which is off Second Road.

[jonniebkk]

There is a soul food place in the little alley adjacnet to Tuk Com...tiny place. I have never tried it so don't know if it is any good.

I doubt there is much of a market for this type of food in Patters. Black Africans wound not be into it and African American visitors or residents are few in number. However, what Patters desperately needs in an AMERICAN BREAKFAST place (as opposed to all the British and German/French breakfast places). I mean, <deleted> is having canned baked beans, a roasted tomato, black pudding and mushrooms to do with bacon and eggs

We need someplace like a place with a menu like Denny's or IHOP...great pancakes and waffles, bottomless coffee, bacon and egg/omelette dishes, American style breakfast muffins (apple crumble, blueberry, etc) stuff like this. Lunch an dinner could be typical such faire but the American breakfast menu is key.

[Jingthing]

This kind of food isn't really soul food per se. It is SOUTHERN food which has deep roots in African slave cookery. And it does not exist in Pattaya. The Big Mamas place I have never actually seen open and it appeared to be very limited to ribs. At best it was a half assed effort. Bob's is Texas BBQ place, no relation whatsoever to a southern food place. OK. it would be a risk to offer something entirely new like this to Thailand. This is American food, REGIONAL American food. I think there is enough typical American fare available here already.

Edited March 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[lopburi3]

And only yesterday he was going to attend four years of full time university study here in Thailand. And a few hours earlier it was study of Thai Language.

[sbk]

Probably got discouraged. At least he isn't asking about opening a bar

[Humphrey Bear]

And only yesterday he was going to attend four years of full time university study here in Thailand.

Cookery classes?

[Jingthing]

Well, I can't speak to the qualifications of the OP to open this, but I do think if it came into being, the core of American expats here would at least give it a try and if it was any good, support it as a base. As Americans are not large in numbers here, it would have to attract others, and that would be a marketing challenge. An idea for that might be to always offer something that is known internationally, Southern Fried Chicken, and if someone could really do the best fried chicken in town, it seems to me you'd have a winner.

Same thing with burritos. There are no decent burritos in town. First one to open a burrito place here comparable to Sunrise will have a sure fire hit.

Edited March 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[BigSnake]

No way my mom would shot my sorry A##.

[PattayaParent]

Don't forget Chicken Fried Steak!

Just curious, how many non-North Americans would eat in such a place? That would be your deciding factor as US and Canadian tourists aren't a majority in Thailand in my experience.

I'd give it a go and if I liked it would definitely be a repeat customer even though some of the menu items do seem a bit weird. Gravy on your biscuits? Yukky.

[twschw]

Mmmmmm...chicken fried steak, mashed taters, fried okra and pecan pie for dessert. Sometimes I do miss home cooking.

[Humphrey Bear]

I'd give it a go and if I liked it would definitely be a repeat customer even though some of the menu items do seem a bit weird. Gravy on your biscuits? Yukky.

American biscuits aren't biscuits.

Imagine bisto on your HobNobs

Edit : pix added

Edited March 13, 2008 by Humphrey Bear

[Jingthing]

Don't forget Chicken Fried Steak!

Just curious, how many non-North Americans would eat in such a place? That would be your deciding factor as US and Canadian tourists aren't a majority in Thailand in my experience.

I'd give it a go and if I liked it would definitely be a repeat customer even though some of the menu items do seem a bit weird. Gravy on your biscuits? Yukky.

Maybe you are thinking of biscuits in the British usage?

How about sweet potato fries with powdered sugar coating?

Here are some southern biscuits. Now smother them with white gravy and now we're talking. Ever wondered why Southern Americans are the fattest people on earth?

Edited March 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[Stormrider]

You know, I hadn't thought about the fact that the USN comes into Sattahip or Sir Racha. I might think about expansion later on, but for now I'm going to concentrate on getting a place up and running in Pattaya. I believe the customer base will be there for me when the word gets out.

That Matthews Cafeteria link is EXACTLY what I have in mind - checkered table cloths and the whole nine yards. And even though it will be my first restaurant, my family and friends have always raved about my culinary abilities. I've always liked to cook.

I'll be sure to put chicken fried steak on the menu...ya gotta beat the hel_l outta that meat to get it tender though!

When I get back in town next month I'll make a point of looking up Texas Bob, fer sure. 'preciate that.

The place is going to be a blend of a Denny's/IHOP type establishment with plenty of accoutrements to put you in mind of a down home southern diner.

Thanks allot, yall.

[twschw]

Oh yes yummy

[Stormrider]

This is awesome! I haven't even opened the place and already I've got customers lined up out the door!

[Humphrey Bear]

And even though it will be my first restaurant, my family and friends have always raved about my culinary abilities. I've always liked to cook.

Ha ha ha.

Cooking for family and friends is not cooking for a living.

If you haven't worked in a commercial kitchen (even a school dinners or prison kitchen) then you have some very painful lessons to learn.

[Jingthing]

How about some name ideas?

Fried Green Tomato Cafe

Dixieland Diner

[Lost in LOS]

put some meatloaf with brown gravy & mashed potatoes on the menu put a real pastrami [not the stuff they have here] and swiss sandwich on rye on the menu real corned beef would be nice too....

ill be there eating my little heart out

[Humphrey Bear]

put some meatloaf with brown gravy & mashed potatoes on the menu put a real pastrami [not the stuff they have here] and swiss sandwich on rye on the menu real corned beef would be nice too....

ill be there eating my little heart out

For corned beef (American) read Salt Beef (Stamford Hill, London)

Never seen it in Thailand. Miss it in Saudi.

[Jingthing]

Nah!

Corned beef and pastrami and rye bread is totally off message.

Thats New York Jewish deli food. Pattaya needs that too but it doesn't fit in a Southern place.

For New York deli place, offer

real boiled bagels

corned beef

pastrami

smoked fish (plates and omelettes)

Kosher pickles

real New York cheesecake

Trouble is, you couldn't do that in Thailand without charging really high prices, too many imported ingredients. With southern food, alot could be local sourced, pork chops, chicken, potatoes, bananas, etc.

Edited March 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[Stormrider]

Right you are Humphrey Bear - I'm sure it will not be a simple thing to get it going, maybe even some pain involved, but that's okay because I've been working in hel_l's Kitchen aka Afghanistan and Iraq (currently) for going on 5 years!

LOVE the Fried Green Tomatoe Cafe idea - Driving Ms. Daisy.

And how could I possibly forget Meatloaf with pan gravy, and the mashed potatoes I make are so light you have to hold 'em down to keep them from floating off your plate!

[Stormrider]

And Jingthing, you've gotta be some kind of downtown - hipster - marketing kinda guy.

[Jingthing]

And Jingthing, you've gotta be some kind of downtown - hipster - marketing kinda guy.

Not really, but I do have ideas about lots of things, take em for what they are worth (hey they are free, uh oh).

I do have some ideas to keep the costs and kitchen work manageable.

Of course offer the standards biscuits, breakfasts, fried chicken all the time (well maybe not breakfast foods as dinner).

Then do a limited and scheduled ROTATING MENU just like Matthews but with fewer choices. This would be published online and at the restaurant, so the customer that loves salmon croquettes would know to come every Wednesday. You can't do everything as in Georgia all at the same time, you will go broke. You have to focus and offer enough choices to please most people and most importantly, what you do do, it needs to be good.

Maybe always southern fried chicken, and also two or three other main course choices, different ones every day but done on a predictable rotating daily menu.

Then offer maybe six side dish choices of the day, customer chooses 2 or 3 of those (extra charge for 3)

Also, you might offer a late night take out discount for the cheap charlies and poor expats, take away the unused food in takeaway boxes near closing time. This would save food wastage and feed some weak dollar victim expats.

Edited March 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[Stormrider]

This is going to work. I can just feel it in my bones.

Thanks for all the encouragement, insight, suggestions and honesty everybody.

I'll be sure to let yall know how it's progressing.

I told my wife she's gonna have to do all the cookin' while I just sit around sippin' ice tea all day and she was still good with the idea so I guess that's half the battle won right there!

As I said earlier, I've been working in Afghanistan and Iraq for the past 5 years, but I'm just about ready to wrap it up and get a real life.

Maybe I'll get a sign put up that says, "Yall come back now, 'ya hear?"

I'll be doing recon when I get in next month and with any luck we'll servin' up deviled eggs in the not too distant future...which by the way just happens to be one of my specialties. Betcha can't eat just one!

I still may pursue my degree, but for a certainty I'll get signed up with a local Thai language school for a couple of years - why not - I can get the ED visa and delay putting money in the bank for the retirement visa for a while.

Cheers yall and thanks again.

[Ulysses G.]

Do you know if anybody else has tried this concept in Pattaya before?

We have a place in Chiang Mai with a simular concept called He11's Kitchen that specializes in Ribs. The owner hasn't done real well, but his first location was the pits and he opened just when every resaurant in Chiang Mai started doing BBQ ribs.