I Know Why I Don'T Go To Bars...

[KarenBravo]

I don't drink beer or whiskey. In fact I don't drink much other than a Caribbean rum and fresh OJ.

If you're a rum man, you should try Mojitos. Bet you'd like them.

Fresh lime juice, sugar and mint ground up with a pestle and mortar. A tall glass full of crushed ice, a tot of rum, add the ground up sugar, lime juice and mint. Top up with soda water. Give it a go.

PS. Bringing your own bottle to Thai bars and Thai restaurants is very common.

Edited November 15, 2010 by KarenBravo

[DreamRider]

Bringing one's own wine or spirits is common practice in Phuket bars and has been for decades as in the rest of Thailand.

Had Jimi007 inquired as to what was their "corkage" policy, I very much doubt they would have quoted 300 baht for a bucket of ice.

As this figure only arose on presentation of the bill, in my opinion Jimi007 WAS stiffed.

So .... which was the bar, or could you please give some cryptic clues!!??

[katasyd]

He he some of you guys are just so cheap Charlie, wonder if you also go to the toilet when its time to pay the bill,,,,guess not if the toilet is 5B, maybe just cheaper to walk. Bring your own booze to a bar

Well, you have to understand the Rawai set.

Pensioners and kickboxers are the local foreign demographic.

Both are notorious for penny pinching and whining.

[steelepulse]

>>Bringing one's own wine or spirits is common practice in Phuket bars

In many of the Thai bars in Phuket town yes, but certainly not in the bars that cater to foreigners. However Thai restaurants, especially the seafood ones in Chalong/Rawai that I frequent all allow you to bring in a bottle of Whiskey/wine or whatever. In fact, it's a huge face thing for the Thai's to show up with a bottle of black as they think it's really a top shelf Whiskey. When they start showing up with a nice bottle of Mclellan single malt, then we'll know that they have arrived .

A funny story is a friend of mine's brother in law owns a popular Thai bar/hostess lounge in Phuket town and quite a few of the patrons have them fill up their bottle of black with pipers or another local whiskey, yet allows them to have big face with the black label out and proud for all to see.

[Spoonman]

Guys

i have been here for a number of years, i have not seen it that many times that customer bring their own booze, maybe we don't go to the same type of bars, BUT why do it?????? If it's not cheap Charlie what is it then????

I quiet often take my own bottle of Bundy OP rum, I dont mind paying a corkage (usually 200b where I drink in Pattaya), however I would love for them to be able to just go grab a bottle from somewhere.... better than me importing it from OZ myself.

[LivinLOS]

Your shocked at 300 baht.. The price of 2 drinks on bangla..

Really bars overheads and costs have sky rocketed.. They have to pay those rents somehow.

LOL! That's the point! I was the only one drinking it, everyone else had ordered beer from the bar and I only had 2 drinks. So, I could have had 2 or 3 drinks from the bar of their liquor and mix for the same price as ice for my two drinks I had there. Oh well... And this bar is it isn't in Patong or near Soi Bangla. It was out in Bum <deleted>...

People are asking 10 mil plus for land in Rawai.. I imagine its higher at road edge.. Do the math !!

The days of bring your own and pay 100 baht are gone.

[glegolo]

O my God!!! That even think about bringing your own alcohol into a restaurant.

That was the dam_n Cheapest I have ever heard.

Going "out" with friends... I do not call that go out. I call that a disgrace...

Glegolo

[BangTaoBoy]

O my God!!! That even think about bringing your own alcohol into a restaurant.

That was the dam_n Cheapest I have ever heard.

Going "out" with friends... I do not call that go out. I call that a disgrace...

Glegolo

I'm afraid you're just high lighting your own ignorance, by being so gob smacked by that. It's not just a Thai thing, as nearly everybody knows it's common place world over.

Restaurants with michelin stars, that you or I could never get a reservation for, let alone afford, will almost certainly allow you to bring your own bottle, for a fee.

So I'm afraid you're calling somebody cheap, but in fact your just showing that you don't have a great deal of experience in dining out around the world.

[NamKangMan]

In most western countries, resturants have a BYO (Bring Your Own) policy - I'm sure most on this forum would be familiar with this term. There will however, be a "corkage fee." No one has a problem with this in the west, as I am sure most would not have a problem with it here. The only issue for the customer surrounding this policy, in the west, and in Thailand, will be, how much is the corkage fee? I disagree with the posters that state bringing your own to a restaurant in the west, and in Thailand, is "Cheap Charlie." I do it with wine in my country, and in Thailand, as I like to drink specific brands of wine.

I agree that it is common practice in Thailand to bring your own bottle of spirits and then pay for the ice and mixers. I have seen it many, many times and done it a few times myself, mostly in Issan.

The Hollywood Nightclub on Bangla Road sells spirits by the bottle to your table, but it is expensive - starting at around 2500 baht a bottle. To my knowledge, you can't bring your own, but the practice of drinking from the bottle at your table is common here in Thailand.

The three things that stood out for me in this thread are:

1) The OP has been here for years - Complacency is fatal here - do not ask the price first for EVERYTHING and EVERYTIME and you run the risk of being ripped off. It doesn't matter if you have been here for 20 years, you are a farang, and therefore a target. You have to be vigilant. Let your guard down momentarily and you put yourself in a position where you will have to pay the extortion price. The Thai's are backed-up by the police. You will pay more if they get involved as they rarely side with the farang. This is just a sad fact of living here.

2) You have not been out for a long time - Prices on the island have gone up, dramatically. We all remember "the good old days." They are long gone. Phuket is no longer a cheap tourist destination option. Whilst I agree 300 baht for ice is ridiculous, so is 200 baht for a tuk-tuk, 500 baht for a T-Shirt etc etc etc etc.

3) Thai Landlords have increased rents and general overheads are high - this is very true. The greed of these landlords mean the costs must be pushed onto the consumer (I know the OP descibed the restaurant as a minor venue) however, generally speaking, for hundreds of bars, restaurants, cafes etc (mostly farang operated) this is the case. So, now you pay 80 to 90 baht for a beer you used to buy for 60 baht just a couple of years ago - basically, a 30% increase over a short historical period. Add "key money" high energy costs, your monthly visit for "tea money" etc etc and it's hard to turn a profit. Farang bar, restaurant, cafe etc owners, and their staff, are basically slaves to the Thai landlord. They keep profits down for the owner and therefore, wages down to find good staff. In the mean time, they are making obscene amounts of money, even by western standards.

The Thai landlords are slowly pricing Phuket out of the tourist market in South East Asia. When beer, food, entertainment etc eventually hits "what the market is NOT willing to pay" then we will see a rapid decline in tourism to Phuket. The Thai Landlords will push it as far as they think the farang money can go, until it breaks. I seriously doubt that the costs for them to own the land increase at the rapid rate they are increasing the rents.

In no way am I having a "shot" at the OP. In fact, I can feel his frustration. Unfortunately, being the victim of the next little rip off is just around the corner for all of us. You have to stay "sharp" here to avoid being stung.

I think the OP just let his guard down for a moment and the restarant seized the opportunity. I did find it unusual that they would "try it on" when you were in the company of other Thai's and can speak some Thai. There is the "money today - don't worry about tomorrow" mentality here. They were happy with ripping you off 300 baht today and don't care they lost 11 customers forever and maybe more, after you tell your friends of this negative experience at their establishment.

Were you dealing with "the boss?" I think a lot of the staff pull these scams while the boss is away, so they don't care if you do not come back because it's not their business. They rarely think you will return to complain to the boss and they don't think about, or care about, the fact they may be out of a job in a couple of months when the business collapes - they are just happy with the extra 300 baht they ripped off you today and they hope to be able to do the same again tomorrow to the next farang, after all, 300 baht is more than the average daily wage here. That's a big incentive to scam and/or try to rip you off.

Edited November 16, 2010 by NamKangMan

[HDRIDER]

No matter what, i would never bring my own booze to a bar, and i still say cheap Charlie, do i mean it,,,, oohhh yes

If it’s such a nice bottle of vine you have why sit in a bar where they don’t have nice vine? And i am not talking about restaurants, sometimes i dont get it, maybe its just me and my friends there dont bring booze to a bar.

[NamKangMan]

No matter what, i would never bring my own booze to a bar, and i still say cheap Charlie, do i mean it,,,, oohhh yes

If it's such a nice bottle of vine you have why sit in a bar where they don't have nice vine? And i am not talking about restaurants, sometimes i dont get it, maybe its just me and my friends there dont bring booze to a bar.

Would you believe me if I told you the bottles of wine I take cost more than the food, for 2 people, in the restaurant? That is in the west, and certainly more so here in Thailand when I fly in with some. I can't see the "Cheap Charlie" in that. I say that not to state I am rich, I'm not, but I do have the occassional splurge.

Restaurants have the policy specifically for customers that like certain wines. These wines are either too expensive for the restaurant to stock, or, they are unavailable, from wholesalers. Back home, I often go to small wineries. These wines are not available, commercially, just sold a"cellar door." The restarant still sells two meals and I pay the profit they lost when I bought my own in the form of a "corkage fee." Everyone is happy.

Many times I have a beer, or two, before we order. I don't bring that with me. If it's going to be a big night, we'll have a couple of cocktails after dinner. Once again, I don't bring them with me. I only bring the wine, however, on a couple of occassions when dining in a group, I have bought a nice bottle of port for everyone after dinner. I have never bought a bottle of spirits to a restaurant back home.

Not sure why you don't understand, "Everyone is happy with the BYO policy."

Customer happy - drinks the wine he wants.

Restaurant happy - still sells meals and very little profit lost due to corkage fee.

Many like to drink wine with a meal. If I go to bar to drink, I have no problem purchasing over the counter.

Edited November 16, 2010 by NamKangMan

[ESB7]

That sounds pretty cheap...you wanna try Bangla, 110 baht a small Singha and a whopping 200 baht a lady drink, no wonder the place is dead with prices like that....nice to see all the bar owners are suffering from the greedy seeds they have sown...serves them right...prices in a seedy little 6x6 brothel more expensive than London, New York and Paris

[stevenl]

That sounds pretty cheap...you wanna try Bangla, 110 baht a small Singha and a whopping 200 baht a lady drink, no wonder the place is dead with prices like that....nice to see all the bar owners are suffering from the greedy seeds they have sown...serves them right...prices in a seedy little 6x6 brothel more expensive than London, New York and Paris

It is not the bar owners that are greedy, they have to charge these prices in order to try and keep their bar alive.

It is the landlords that ask and get ludicrous prices. Especially the keymoneys are making them rich.

[Lancelot]

I think I would have asked before hand "I prefer my own bottle; how much profit do you usually earn on a bottle this size? If they say B150 and you give them B170, I doubt they would object. I've found out by asking a few questions before hand I usually avoid potential problems later

Chok dee!

[richard_smith237]

I nearly always take my own wine to restaurants in Bangkok. I also nearly always favor those restaurants who respect my patronage and don't charge me excessive corkage.

IMO: for Bangkok anything more than B400 per bottle corkage is excessive and I mostly go to restaurants where they wave the corkage fee altogether. In the tourist traps and top end hotels its difficult to get these corkage charges down so I tend to frequent the excellent restaurants that offer food of matching or better quality and not pay the excessive (in some cases B1000) corkage charges.

Am I a cheap charlie? you'd have to know me to decide that one. IMO: I simply make a choice not to go to those places I consider to charge excessive amounts.

Why I don't like to pay corkage charges. On principle. The Taxation on wine here is so prohibitive that to buy a decent bottle of wine in a restaurant would represent a huge markup.

A B500 bottle of wine from home, is B1800 in the supermarket and often B3-3500 in the restaurant. I have seen wines that cost B2500 at BKK duty free that cost B25,000 on a wine list in a Bangkok restaurant.

A Bar is a completely different story: I wouldn't go to a restaurant and bring my own food. In the same manner I wouldn't go to a bar and take my own drink.

I do however understand the Ops situation. This is a quiet bar with limited choice and he was bringing an already opened bottle to 'finish off'. With a table of others I think it could have been fair enough in this situation for the owner to wave the corkage fee and simply charge going rate for a bucket of ice and an orange juice.

However the Golden Rule as always: Make sure before you order.

[Peterocket]

1) The OP has been here for years - Complacency is fatal here - do not ask the price first for EVERYTHING and EVERYTIME and you run the risk of being ripped off. It doesn't matter if you have been here for 20 years, you are a farang, and therefore a target. You have to be vigilant. Let your guard down momentarily and you put yourself in a position where you will have to pay the extortion price. The Thai's are backed-up by the police. You will pay more if they get involved as they rarely side with the farang. This is just a sad fact of living here.

I dont have a clue what you are talking about here. Let your guard down for a minute and pay the extortion price? Thais must really hate you if everytime you let your guard down they rip you off. What has Thais being backed up by police got to do with anything. Are you suggesting that if you ghet over charged for something you should be able to call the police for their support?

2) You have not been out for a long time - Prices on the island have gone up, dramatically. We all remember "the good old days." They are long gone. Phuket is no longer a cheap tourist destination option. Whilst I agree 300 baht for ice is ridiculous, so is 200 baht for a tuk-tuk, 500 baht for a T-Shirt etc etc etc etc.

300 baht for Ice if it is charged as the corkage fee is not ridiculous in my mind if you then get to drink your bottle of whiskey in someone else's establishment. 200 baht for a tuk tuk is also quite reasonable if you can get one for that price. Most T-Shirts in Phuket are around 99-199 baht as far as I am aware.

What about 50 baht for a full meal (or less)

200 baht for an hours massage

28 baht for a liter of Diesel

3) Thai Landlords have increased rents and general overheads are high - this is very true. The greed of these landlords mean the costs must be pushed onto the consumer (I know the OP descibed the restaurant as a minor venue) however, generally speaking, for hundreds of bars, restaurants, cafes etc (mostly farang operated) this is the case. So, now you pay 80 to 90 baht for a beer you used to buy for 60 baht just a couple of years ago - basically, a 30% increase over a short historical period. Add "key money" high energy costs, your monthly visit for "tea money" etc etc and it's hard to turn a profit. Farang bar, restaurant, cafe etc owners, and their staff, are basically slaves to the Thai landlord. They keep profits down for the owner and therefore, wages down to find good staff. In the mean time, they are making obscene amounts of money, even by western standards.

Prices around the world have gone up 20-30% in the last 2 years so nothing new there. Why should Thailand be any different?

In my mind people who have been to Phuket must read your posts and think that you are talking about a different place. You certainly seem to have a more stressful and hard time here than I do.

[LivinLOS]

Restaurants with michelin stars, that you or I could never get a reservation for, let alone afford, will almost certainly allow you to bring your own bottle, for a fee.

So I'm afraid you're calling somebody cheap, but in fact your just showing that you don't have a great deal of experience in dining out around the world.

You reckon it would be less than 300 baht ??

[LivinLOS]

Why I don't like to pay corkage charges. On principle. The Taxation on wine here is so prohibitive that to buy a decent bottle of wine in a restaurant would represent a huge markup.

A B500 bottle of wine from home, is B1800 in the supermarket and often B3-3500 in the restaurant. I have seen wines that cost B2500 at BKK duty free that cost B25,000 on a wine list in a Bangkok restaurant.

To me thats backwards.. You wont pay high corkage because the wine in the restaurant is high priced ?? Surely thats an argument for high corkage ??

If the restaurant had good cheap wine at reasonable prices then you should buy it from them, the fact they dont (through taxation) and you wish to bring wine in means your saving that high price, and can pay a high corkage ??

[glegolo]

I stand with it. I call it "cheap Charlie". I notice that a lot of you guys

bring your own stuff into restaurants. So many at fault make it right???

It must be bad economical times for many here in Thailand, I am sure!!

Glegolo

[BangTaoBoy]

I stand with it. I call it "cheap Charlie". I notice that a lot of you guys

bring your own stuff into restaurants. So many at fault make it right???

It must be bad economical times for many here in Thailand, I am sure!!

Glegolo

Again your completely missing the point. Hard times has nothing to do with it. Wealthy people will take bottles of scotch/wine costing £100 to several thousand pounds in to a restaurant, how can that possible be related to hard times??

You're just making yourself sound like a not very well travelled bumpkin.

[BangTaoBoy]

Restaurants with michelin stars, that you or I could never get a reservation for, let alone afford, will almost certainly allow you to bring your own bottle, for a fee.

So I'm afraid you're calling somebody cheap, but in fact your just showing that you don't have a great deal of experience in dining out around the world.

You reckon it would be less than 300 baht ??

Where in my post or in anything else I have said in this thread, do I imply that I think it would cost less than 300 baht???

[BillR]

the argument of bringing your own wine to a nice restaurant in phuket is pretty invalid, considering most nice restaurants Im aware of won't let you bring a bottle if at all unless it has the tax tag, too much potential trouble for the owner. A French restaurant and also a bar got shut down briefly recently for having untaxed wine and a untaxed spirit on their shelves.

Thai bars and discos, nearly everyone brings their own bottle of spirits, but the charge is more like 500-1000B depending.

Farang bars, Im not aware of any that allow it, but then ago If I see a farang with a large chang or bottle of sang som next to him I avoid those places like the plague.

If you can't go out and contribute to the venue you are patronizing in a reasonable way, stay in your room and listen to your fan.

As far as only drinking at your friends bars where you don't have to pay, Im pretty sure they are regretting being your friend in the first place by now.

[BangTaoBoy]

If I see a farang with a large chang or bottle of sang som next to him I avoid those places like the plague.

:jerk:

[NamKangMan]

1) The OP has been here for years - Complacency is fatal here - do not ask the price first for EVERYTHING and EVERYTIME and you run the risk of being ripped off. It doesn't matter if you have been here for 20 years, you are a farang, and therefore a target. You have to be vigilant. Let your guard down momentarily and you put yourself in a position where you will have to pay the extortion price. The Thai's are backed-up by the police. You will pay more if they get involved as they rarely side with the farang. This is just a sad fact of living here.

I dont have a clue what you are talking about here. Let your guard down for a minute and pay the extortion price? Thais must really hate you if everytime you let your guard down they rip you off. What has Thais being backed up by police got to do with anything. Are you suggesting that if you ghet over charged for something you should be able to call the police for their support?

2) You have not been out for a long time - Prices on the island have gone up, dramatically. We all remember "the good old days." They are long gone. Phuket is no longer a cheap tourist destination option. Whilst I agree 300 baht for ice is ridiculous, so is 200 baht for a tuk-tuk, 500 baht for a T-Shirt etc etc etc etc.

300 baht for Ice if it is charged as the corkage fee is not ridiculous in my mind if you then get to drink your bottle of whiskey in someone else's establishment. 200 baht for a tuk tuk is also quite reasonable if you can get one for that price. Most T-Shirts in Phuket are around 99-199 baht as far as I am aware.

What about 50 baht for a full meal (or less)

200 baht for an hours massage

28 baht for a liter of Diesel

3) Thai Landlords have increased rents and general overheads are high - this is very true. The greed of these landlords mean the costs must be pushed onto the consumer (I know the OP descibed the restaurant as a minor venue) however, generally speaking, for hundreds of bars, restaurants, cafes etc (mostly farang operated) this is the case. So, now you pay 80 to 90 baht for a beer you used to buy for 60 baht just a couple of years ago - basically, a 30% increase over a short historical period. Add "key money" high energy costs, your monthly visit for "tea money" etc etc and it's hard to turn a profit. Farang bar, restaurant, cafe etc owners, and their staff, are basically slaves to the Thai landlord. They keep profits down for the owner and therefore, wages down to find good staff. In the mean time, they are making obscene amounts of money, even by western standards.

Prices around the world have gone up 20-30% in the last 2 years so nothing new there. Why should Thailand be any different?

In my mind people who have been to Phuket must read your posts and think that you are talking about a different place. You certainly seem to have a more stressful and hard time here than I do.

You are obviously not very experienced with the Thai way in the major tourist cities.

Firstly, if the OP refused to pay, or worse, like he admitted to considering, dropping the glass, on purpose, to break it, if the police were called, he would be made to pay the 300 baht, probably 10 times the cost of a new glass and around 500 to 1000 baht for the police time (which goes into his pocket). This is why he gets his "tea money" - to "take care" of "his business." He will side with the people who pay his "tea money." This is a fact, and WHY did this all happen in the first place, all because he simply didn't ask the price beforehand. I'm gathering you have a missus because you obviously haven't performed many transactions, in a variety of venues, for a variety of items, otherwise, you would certainly know what I am talking about.

As far as the prices of land going up around the world, that is, in general, true, HOWEVER, in Thailand, a farang can not buy and own land, 100% freehold and unemcumbered, in their own name. So, you can not keep any capital gain you have made in relation to the location of your business because the land was never yours. Any improvements to your profits will soon result in a rent and/or lease rise from your Thai landlord, whereas, if you were able to own the land, you are protected from this and can possibly reap a capital gain upon the end sale. Once again, it's all for the Thai landlords. If your business fails, he just re-writes another lease, with a "cash in hand" key money payment, to the next starry eyed farang dreamer who lives the dream for a while and then fails as well and it starts again. The Thai landlord keeps selling leases and pocketing key money. If he can do it every two to three years on five year leases, he/she cleans up.

I don't have a stressful life here. I like it here but try to remember some basic things that I don't have to be so conscious of back home. Some of which are:

1) Always ask the price first.

2) Try to haggle.

3) Never raise your voice or become agressive.

4) The police are always right. (even if they are actually wrong)

5) Don't send money for "sick buffalo."

6) Don't listen to "Phuket is heaven" - "my missus takes care of everything for me" - naive expats like you. :) :)

[stevenl]

This is a fact

As usual the iceman decides something is a fact because he thinks it is.

[NamKangMan]

This is a fact

As usual the iceman decides something is a fact because he thinks it is.

Happy to be proven wrong by you if you can provide any evidence or information to the contrary, other than just attacking my post.

Edited November 16, 2010 by NamKangMan

[stevenl]

Happy to be proven wrong by you if you can provide any evidence or information to the contrary, other than just attacking my post.

Looking forward to your proof your statement is correct.

[Peterocket]

1) Always ask the price first.

2) Try to haggle.

3) Never raise your voice or become agressive.

4) The police are always right. (even if they are actually wrong)

5) Don't send money for "sick buffalo."

6) Don't listen to "Phuket is heaven" - "my missus takes care of everything for me" - naive expats like you. :) :)

Yes I do have a Mrs...she is Farang and I wish she did take care of everything for me.

You forgot point 7 on your list:

7) Namkangman is always right. (even when he is actually wrong)

[BangTaoBoy]

1) Always ask the price first.

2) Try to haggle.

3) Never raise your voice or become agressive.

4) The police are always right. (even if they are actually wrong)

5) Don't send money for "sick buffalo."

6) Don't listen to "Phuket is heaven" - "my missus takes care of everything for me" - naive expats like you. :) :)

Yes I do have a Mrs...she is Farang and I wish she did take care of everything for me.

You forgot point 7 on your list:

7) Namkangman is always right. (even when he is actually wrong)

Didn't see that one coming, did you mate? Kind a Pissses over your little theory.

[NamKangMan]

Happy to be proven wrong by you if you can provide any evidence or information to the contrary, other than just attacking my post.

Looking forward to your proof your statement is correct.

The easiest one that comes to mind is: google "Jet ski scam Patong Beach Thailand."

This scam/rip off has been well documented. So many had been stung by it they tried to bring in insurance for the jet ski as a way of protecting the tourist from it, but the scam is still operating. I'm sure you're familiar with it. Whilst it did not happen to me personally, there are many firsthand accounts publisied from the people that it did happen to.

The list of reported, well documented and publisised scams is long and I can name several, BUT, let's start with this one. It's your turn. Show me some evidence that this jet ski scam didn't/doesn't exist and it's all just a misunderstanding and is NOT A POINT OF FACT.

Edited November 17, 2010 by NamKangMan