Sukhumvit Street Food Vendors....how Is Location And Rent Determined?

[webworldly]

Hey there! :-)

How do the street food vendors all along Sukhumvit decide who gets what location? Is rent paid....and if so, to whom......and how much is the rent?

I searched....but didn't see anything recent about this....and I'm a weeeeeeeeee bit curious.

CHEERS!

D

[Jimjim]

The police supposedly regulate it I've heard, and I've heard some pay directly to police, while others pay someone else in a government department that comes around. I can't claim full accuracy on this. Sometimes imposters come around and claim they are owed the money and intimidate them into paying and then when the real person comes around for the money they tell him they've already paid and then it becomes a story. I've read about it in newspapers before. But, yes, I believe they pay rent and I think it's to the government usually as I think sidewalks are considered public property. I'm sure some shopowners who have vendors right in front of their shops might get a piece of the action, however.

Also, an interesting thing to note is how vendors prices are supposed to be regulated and kept the same all over the city. For example, you get some watermelon from a fruit vendor and anywhere in Bangkok you get it, it should be 10 baht. It always has been in my experience and I've also read in newspapers that this is the case and they need permission from the government to raise prices, just as buses do.

[dennis3506]

Hey there! :-)

How do the street food vendors all along Sukhumvit decide who gets what location? Is rent paid....and if so, to whom......and how much is the rent?

I searched....but didn't see anything recent about this....and I'm a weeeeeeeeee bit curious.

CHEERS!

D

What I'd like to know is how more farangs don't get food poisoning. Many's the time after a big session I've stopped for a couple of chicken legs and sausages on a stick. This food has been sitting out in the sun all day (same as the fish and prawns) and yet I've never been sick. I know throwing it over the coals for another 5 minutes or so is going to kill off some bacteria but it must be still a bit of a gamble.

[craighj]

Hey there! :-)

How do the street food vendors all along Sukhumvit decide who gets what location? Is rent paid....and if so, to whom......and how much is the rent?

I searched....but didn't see anything recent about this....and I'm a weeeeeeeeee bit curious.

CHEERS!

D

What I'd like to know is how more farangs don't get food poisoning. Many's the time after a big session I've stopped for a couple of chicken legs and sausages on a stick. This food has been sitting out in the sun all day (same as the fish and prawns) and yet I've never been sick. I know throwing it over the coals for another 5 minutes or so is going to kill off some bacteria but it must be still a bit of a gamble.

Many people do get sick including Thai's, however usually from not making sure that the food is cooked all the way through or they are simply not use to the bacteria. I had some squid from a street stall once and I ended up in hospital and lost 5 kilo in 1 week.

[JetsetBkk]

What I'd like to know is how more farangs don't get food poisoning...

I think it's because the chicken/pig/whatever was probably running around a few hours earlier.

I always insist on my food being cooked a few extra minutes - better burnt than bugs.

[MacauThai]

The police supposedly regulate it I've heard, and I've heard some pay directly to police, while others pay someone else in a government department that comes around. I can't claim full accuracy on this. Sometimes imposters come around and claim they are owed the money and intimidate them into paying and then when the real person comes around for the money they tell him they've already paid and then it becomes a story. I've read about it in newspapers before. But, yes, I believe they pay rent and I think it's to the government usually as I think sidewalks are considered public property. I'm sure some shopowners who have vendors right in front of their shops might get a piece of the action, however.

Also, an interesting thing to note is how vendors prices are supposed to be regulated and kept the same all over the city. For example, you get some watermelon from a fruit vendor and anywhere in Bangkok you get it, it should be 10 baht. It always has been in my experience and I've also read in newspapers that this is the case and they need permission from the government to raise prices, just as buses do.

not all vendors are the same price, obviously certain locations cost more, but usually the fruit vendors and the chai-kai-muk and ice cream guys have the same price.

[Heng]

A lot of vendors pay their rent directly to the property owner whose building or home is most adjacent to the sidewalk they are doing business on. The city is well aware of this practice. The rationalization is that in most places in the city, the property owner likely DID own the property/land under the sidewalk at one time. When the sidewalks were reclaimed by the city, the compensation to said owners was not always promptly paid, and in many cases never paid at all (with the counter rationale being that the owners benefitted well beyond any kind of one time payment from the improved street access and increased property value).

p.s. that said... a lot of vendors aren't paying anyone at all and just hoping for the best that they aren't muscled out.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Heng

[Farma]

To add to Heng’s post, its common practice for the street vendors to lease a piece of the sidewalk in front of businesses in regional cities too.

From personal experience the vendor will approach the shop owner notifying them what product they want to sell. The shop owner decides if that stall will be beneficial for them and a monthly rental is agreed.

Some of these agreements include the shop owner providing access to electrical power or leaving the outside lighting on until an agreed time at night.

[webworldly]

Some of these agreements include the shop owner providing access to electrical power or leaving the outside lighting on until an agreed time at night.

Farma.....that's an interesting point. I've often wondered who pays for the electricity and the upkeep of the power lines, etc......required to power the stalls that run on electric power. I gotta' say, I'm fascinated by the whole street stall / cart "industry".

CHEERS!

D

[desertrat]

PLEASE SAVE US FROM THESE MAGGOTS (someone posted a webpage of farang porn) I guess it will be quickly deleted, or could remain as a reminder for what we are luckily missing.

[zorro1]

What about the roaming food carts that often stop on the street not the footpath. Who do they pay or are they just ushered a long and I wonder how much attention I will get sitting under a bunch of porn pics

[permanent_disorder]

What I'd like to know is how more farangs don't get food poisoning...

I think it's because the chicken/pig/whatever was probably running around a few hours earlier.

I always insist on my food being cooked a few extra minutes - better burnt than bugs.

that is not the magic trick that will do it.

go to The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com

and use the search engine looking up for formaldehyde and formalin

freshening stories and i think that stuff is still around.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

PLEASE SAVE US FROM THESE MAGGOTS (someone posted a webpage of farang porn) I guess it will be quickly deleted, or could remain as a reminder for what we are luckily missing.

The porn purveyors have taken their well deserved rest.

[johna]

When Samak was governor of Bangkok there was a dispute between street vendors claiming extortion by the BIB for their spots.

Samak held a public debate between the two and declared it a draw after which the police designated a precise spot to each vendor and issued documents to them.

So the property must belong to the BMA, there was also talk that vendors could sell, lease or use these "property rights" as collateral, not sure if its listed on the stock exchange ?

[thaihome]

Note that the OP was referring specifically to vendors on Sukhumvit. Wonder if he realizes that such street vendors are all over Bangkok? Wonder if he as actually been anywhere but Sukhumvit.

In my neighborhood (some distance from Sukhumvit) the vendors pay the shop owner a monthly fee that can include electricity. My wife gets 2k a month from the family that has the cart along with 3 tables in front every evening, no electricity provide, but they do get the benefit of the overhead light in front of the shop. No police involvement, but I have heard this may not be true in the tourist areas such as Sukhumvit.

TH

[Furbie]

Note that the OP was referring specifically to vendors on Sukhumvit. Wonder if he realizes that such street vendors are all over Bangkok? Wonder if he as actually been anywhere but Sukhumvit.

In my neighborhood (some distance from Sukhumvit) the vendors pay the shop owner a monthly fee that can include electricity. My wife gets 2k a month from the family that has the cart along with 3 tables in front every evening, no electricity provide, but they do get the benefit of the overhead light in front of the shop. No police involvement, but I have heard this may not be true in the tourist areas such as Sukhumvit.

TH

BMA controls the sidewalk - if they are on the sidewalk in a fixed location, they pay BMA a "fee". I am not sure about roamers or people on private property.