Go Bar Khon Kaen

[wjhall]

The bar is in the wrong area for a Farang bar in Khon Kaen plus there is plenty of competition already. I think Go bar was only open for a month or two. Personally I would not give him 50,000 baht for it!!!!

[Gweiloman]

At least, there are about 2-3 constructive comments here. I must admit I'm a little surprised by the responses as usually Isaan dwelling farangs are quite a helpful lot, unlike the Bkk / Pattaya ones (no offence meant, just a general observation on my part).

Myself, I have (and still am) toying with the idea of opening a bar, not as a means of income, but more as a hobby and having the opportunity to meet new people so as not to let the brain atrophy away. Therefore, the only financial requirement is that it should break even (as a qualified accountant, I do know what I'm talking about in terms of P&L). However, I have had no experience owning / operating a bar so if there are any ex- current bar owners out there, would you be willing to share your experiences?

[tomwct]

This bar was opened less than a year ago and has been open and closed. It;s in Tha Ban Kok section of KK behind BigC. Me personally, the location not good and if you still wanted it pay only for stock, 50% of any appliances and nothing else. You may want to check on the lease and find out it;s renewable. 550,000 THB, that is a joke!

Last I heard, every Bar in KK is for sale at some price!

[TheWalkingMan]

I think that some of the comments could be considered harsh because of the OP's question. He said that he was thinking about buying a business that he had not seen and was wondering if any board members had any information.

I think most people here enjoy giving helpful comments, but when buying a business, we should at least have rudimentary knowledge of its operations and not toss out a question for people to do the basic legwork. That is why in my earlier post I said, "Did you google "Go Bar Khon Kaen" Do that first," as he would have found out that the place is pretty new, people were saying how customer traffic has decreased and prices increased and finally, he could have join a different forum which had people making comments about the bar. That would have been the place to start. Google for all its weaknesses can provide excellent information.

[Beetlejuice]

Just some advice for what it`s worth.

I have lived mostly in Thailand for the last 30 years and have good knowledge and experience of what’s what and how things are done here.

My wife and I also considered opening a beerbar with available girls sometime ago. I eventually changed my mind and gave it up as a bad idea for several reasons.

Firstly you have to rule the girls with an iron hand otherwise they will end up running your business, making the rules and ripping you off right, left and centre. Most of these girls come from the underclass’s of Thai society and basically you have to be a sort of a thug yourself, someone that comes across as a don`t mess with me or else, otherwise you’re never be able to control your staff.

Secondly you will need support, a few heavy’s on your staff for when some customers begin using the premises as a drugs trading post or in the event of drunken disputes that may transform the bar into a wild west type saloon, with fights and drunken brawls. It`s not an if, but a when this happens.

Thirdly, the business must have police support. If you do not approach them first, than it would not be long before they approach you. The police will be holding their hands out for beer money in order to turn a blind eye to the activities in there plus for coming to the rescue if any trouble breaks out. If these unwritten rules and rituals are not carried out than the full wrath of the law will be let loose on the business.

In the end I concluded that I’m just not the right type for these sorts of businesses. Not thuggish enough and could easily lose control over the situation.

If you believe that you and your wife are up to the job, than good luck and wish you all success, but keeping in mind that there is a lot more to setting up a bar than just opening up and taking the money.

[randysavage]

firstly i live in korat province a place called prathai if you use route master it says 77 miles 1 hour and 40 mins so following number 2 road i can do it in 1 hour 30 mins or less depending on how many lorries are on the road. secondly i did research the bar on the net how did i know it was for sale if i had not i tried trip adviser and google.

now all i wanted was for some input from people local to the bar. the reason for buying a farang bar was to have a bit of company with fellow farangs instead of counting teeth in the village plus id ave the perfect excuse to have a beer, if the bar pays for it self and my regular slurp ill be happy maybe theres a pool league or darts in khon kaen i can get involved in dont get me wrong i like a little bit of village life but not all the time. come on lads wheres the spirit you have to take a chance now and then and as for the price of the bar if i pay 50 satang or 50 million baht it would of cost you zilch and people who live in khon kaen would have another watering hole that wouldnt be turned into a knocking shop but would have attractive bar staff because that is what gets me into a pub back home oh and roast tatties on the bar on a sunday chok dee

Edited January 27, 2012 by randysavage

[TheWalkingMan]

Are you are saying that you did research, saw this quote from another forum "It is not cheap in this bar 3 Leos 219 baht,(180 he states in the opening post?)obviously he has been busy and thinks putting the prices up will attract more customers.....very Thai way of thinking or maybe he does not wear the trousers?" and then came here asking about the place? And that you did not ask on a forum where people have already commented on the place? Is that what you are saying?

[randysavage]

what are you on about walking man i was asking if the bar was busy or if the owner was in bad health or was cash strapped it doesnt matter if a beer costs 1 bt or a 1000 bt if theres no one using the bar its pretty much like good looking bar girl in high season f@@ked. please will some of you guys wear a hat when your out in the sun or leave the hooch alone,

[janverbeem]

The quality of the response to the OP are the main reason I stopped posting on TV anymore.Such a bunch of wanke_rs.The poster only asked a simple question.If I could give you an answer I would, but sorry I can not.Best of luck.

I think you're not keeping your promise.

[Gweiloman]

firstly i live in korat province a place called prathai if you use route master it says 77 miles 1 hour and 40 mins so following number 2 road i can do it in 1 hour 30 mins or less depending on how many lorries are on the road. secondly i did research the bar on the net how did i know it was for sale if i had not i tried trip adviser and google.

now all i wanted was for some input from people local to the bar. the reason for buying a farang bar was to have a bit of company with fellow farangs instead of counting teeth in the village plus id ave the perfect excuse to have a beer, if the bar pays for it self and my regular slurp ill be happy maybe theres a pool league or darts in khon kaen i can get involved in dont get me wrong i like a little bit of village life but not all the time. come on lads wheres the spirit you have to take a chance now and then and as for the price of the bar if i pay 50 satang or 50 million baht it would of cost you zilch and people who live in khon kaen would have another watering hole that wouldnt be turned into a knocking shop but would have attractive bar staff because that is what gets me into a pub back home oh and roast tatties on the bar on a sunday chok dee

My gut feeling is that if you don't need an income stream from the business (ie more as a hobby bar) and take on board Beetlejuice's sound advise, why not go for it? Like you said, it's not mega money and after the initial capital outlay, running costs shouldn't be too high. I would give it a shot myself when the time comes. Would be nice to "work" without the normal pressures of management KPI's, target reporting deadlines etc etc

[TheWalkingMan]

what are you on about walking man i was asking if the bar was busy or if the owner was in bad health or was cash strapped it doesnt matter if a beer costs 1 bt or a 1000 bt if theres no one using the bar its pretty much like good looking bar girl in high season f@@ked. please will some of you guys wear a hat when your out in the sun or leave the hooch alone,

OK bigboy... Now I am curious. Would you be so kind as to explain why didn't you ask the same questions on the other forum which is based in Khon Kaen and for which the bar already had a few reviews/comments. People are on the ground there and the topic of the bar had already been started. I really do not understand why you did not post your questions there under the running topic of the bar. I found the topic on the first page of google as the first item. Did you do a google search on the name and location of the bar? Did you miss it in your search? Did you see it and figure that thaivisa had better quality commenters?

If you never googled the name and location of the bar then I can understand you coming to thaivisa and asking a question. But what I cannot understand why you didn't google the bar, if that's what happened and I cannot see how, if you did google it, how you missed it as the first item.

[pianoman]

You might get more helpful information regarding a Bar in Khon Kaen by searching out the Expat Forum for Khon Kaen... Plus you should be able to avoid the TV Thai Haters, that seem to hang out on TV...

Pianoman

[MrRed]

The bar mentioned is only busy at the weekends and is very open being on the corner of the soi,at night sheets are put around it to keep people out.

The area is mainly students who want cheap beer and cheap whiskey and watch the football.

IMO the bar is way overpriced at half a million baht especially when it does not have any structure as such you can buy the same furnishings and open a bar on that road(soi tecno park)very easily and for in the region of 150,000 baht,there are two other bars for sale a stone throw away.

I used to like the bar when they opened but it changed and there may be other reasons why it is now being offered.women always springs to mind.

[smokie36]

i thought people living in the area could help me as im in the uk it would be a bit of a job to just go and take a peek at the bar and pretty expensive i stated that the bar was in khon kaen and as there seems to be a few members who live there i was asking for there opinion ive talked to the bar owner allready but im not going to rely totally on what he tells me, ive got a mate in saraburi who can put down a deposit for me if i decide to take things further im just doing some research

Could I interest you in a luxury condo in the East End of Glasgow?

SC

Oh,so it's a luxury condo now? What happened, did the council demolish the gasworks that were blighting the view?

Half of the East End has been demolished to make way for the Commonwealth Games. I'd up the price SC.

[StreetCowboy]

i thought people living in the area could help me as im in the uk it would be a bit of a job to just go and take a peek at the bar and pretty expensive i stated that the bar was in khon kaen and as there seems to be a few members who live there i was asking for there opinion ive talked to the bar owner allready but im not going to rely totally on what he tells me, ive got a mate in saraburi who can put down a deposit for me if i decide to take things further im just doing some research

Could I interest you in a luxury condo in the East End of Glasgow?

SC

Oh,so it's a luxury condo now? What happened, did the council demolish the gasworks that were blighting the view?

Half of the East End has been demolished to make way for the Commonwealth Games. I'd up the price SC.

"Half of the East End has been demolished..."

How could you tell?

SC

[smokie36]

To the couple of posters looking to open a "hobby" bar.....running a successful bar isn't a hobby, its a full time job.

Have a think about how much money you would like to throw in a fire. Cos without putting in 12 hour+ days that's what you will be doing.

[smokie36]

"Half of the East End has been demolished..."

How could you tell?

SC

My caravans at Ayr have been fully booked all winter!

[StreetCowboy]

"Half of the East End has been demolished..."

How could you tell?

SC

My caravans at Ayr have been fully booked all winter!

Bloody romantic itinerants!

SC

[Bangkokhatter]

Just some advice for what it`s worth.

I have lived mostly in Thailand for the last 30 years and have good knowledge and experience of what’s what and how things are done here.

My wife and I also considered opening a beerbar with available girls sometime ago. I eventually changed my mind and gave it up as a bad idea for several reasons.

Firstly you have to rule the girls with an iron hand otherwise they will end up running your business, making the rules and ripping you off right, left and centre. Most of these girls come from the underclass’s of Thai society and basically you have to be a sort of a thug yourself, someone that comes across as a don`t mess with me or else, otherwise you’re never be able to control your staff.

Secondly you will need support, a few heavy’s on your staff for when some customers begin using the premises as a drugs trading post or in the event of drunken disputes that may transform the bar into a wild west type saloon, with fights and drunken brawls. It`s not an if, but a when this happens.

Thirdly, the business must have police support. If you do not approach them first, than it would not be long before they approach you. The police will be holding their hands out for beer money in order to turn a blind eye to the activities in there plus for coming to the rescue if any trouble breaks out. If these unwritten rules and rituals are not carried out than the full wrath of the law will be let loose on the business.

In the end I concluded that I’m just not the right type for these sorts of businesses. Not thuggish enough and could easily lose control over the situation.

If you believe that you and your wife are up to the job, than good luck and wish you all success, but keeping in mind that there is a lot more to setting up a bar than just opening up and taking the money.

finally a helpfull and informed post

[maithigh]

http://www.bahtsold.com/en/view/popluar-bar-for-sale-in-khon-kaen-university-area-91559

[smokie36]

http://www.bahtsold....sity-area-91559

Its either a former beauty parlour or the new Easyjet lounge.

Run far away...as fast as your spindly legs will carry you...

[necronx99]

http://www.bahtsold....sity-area-91559

Its either a former beauty parlour or the new Easyjet lounge.

Run far away...as fast as your spindly legs will carry you...

Thats what i thought. There is nothing there you can't replicate with a lease and a few grand in bar-stools.

No bar,tap set up etc. no commercial fridges, kitchen

[StreetCowboy]

It doesn't look very busy, in the photographs, either

[kdc1899]

nocturn i have been coming to thailand for over 15 years i have a thai wife and 2 children we have a house in korat i have a buisness in england that im looking to sell to my buisness partner as ive had enough the bar would be a hobby for me and would keep the wife busy we live just off the 2 motorway we are about an hour and a half if the traffic is good from khon kaen, i could send my pal from saraburi to have a look but i didnt want to put him out i thought id ask the old wise heads on here

May I suggest Golf as a hobby?

[TheWalkingMan]

http://www.bahtsold....sity-area-91559

It looks nice, except for that pinkish bar.

[randysavage]

@uck me some of you posters would give a paracetamol a headache with your general naysaying do some of you posters come complete with a set of razor blades and a noose, on the internet your harder to spot but in public your easy to spot as theres allways a rain cloud above your head thats thundering and lightning and you run around in circles telling everyone that will listen YOU DONT WANNA DO IT LIKE THAT YOU WANNA DO IT LIKE THIS, now before the idea for a bar i thought about a pig farm but i know sweet fa about pigs oh sorry i know one thing and it relates to lipstick, i even thought about a turkey farm as i know a bit about them, they dont like xmas and there that clever that a few of them can use a pc and hang out in the issan forum,.

[janverbeem]

@uck me some of you posters would give a paracetamol a headache with your general naysaying do some of you posters come complete with a set of razor blades and a noose, on the internet your harder to spot but in public your easy to spot as theres allways a rain cloud above your head thats thundering and lightning and you run around in circles telling everyone that will listen YOU DONT WANNA DO IT LIKE THAT YOU WANNA DO IT LIKE THIS, now before the idea for a bar i thought about a pig farm but i know sweet fa about pigs oh sorry i know one thing and it relates to lipstick, i even thought about a turkey farm as i know a bit about them, they dont like xmas and there that clever that a few of them can use a pc and hang out in the issan forum,.

Don't forget you even thought about a kebab cart.I believe every word of it that you're a SUCCESSFUL business man in England.

[randysavage]

seems to be working in bangkok in hui hin and pattaya even in korat your a fine one to have a go at me then advertise guns i think your sort of guy that would of told the thais centuries ago theres no future in rice, oops gun go off on your foot janverbeem.

[xybadog]

Unfortunately, it appears you've attracted the ThaiVisa Forum knobends to respond to your post. Apart from a handful who have tried to be helpful, the rest could start a fight in a convent. Why people have to respond so unco-operatively is beyond me. If only we all could be as perfect as them eh? Shame there's not a sub-forum for expats with braincell deficiency issues then they could spend all their time there.

I think it was obvious from your initial post that you wanted information from people in the area before so you would not waste your time travelling to look at it if it wasn't worth it. A fair request!

For what it's worth, I wouldn't worry about its history and how it's performing (or not) currently, what you need to do is think how you would run it and what you could bring to a bar in the area in which it's located. Don't be concerned why it's up for sale now but be concerned about your 3-5 year plan for making it work, as long as the initial investment is no problem for you. You could have a profitable bar located in an outhouse in your garden if you promoted it correctly. Regardless of it's location in Khon Kaen if you were to run and promote a friendly, welcoming farang "watering hole" then farang's in the local area would hear about it and surely head that way when they wanted to go to town for a drink...(just fingers crossed the negative, miserable forumers above don't turn up because they'd only complain all night that your beer mats were the wrong shape or the stools were 0.3 cms too high)

[Thighlander]

Are you are saying that you did research, saw this quote from another forum "It is not cheap in this bar 3 Leos 219 baht,(180 he states in the opening post?)obviously he has been busy and thinks putting the prices up will attract more customers.....very Thai way of thinking or maybe he does not wear the trousers?" and then came here asking about the place? And that you did not ask on a forum where people have already commented on the place? Is that what you are saying?

maybe 3 Heinekins for 200 THB......Leos? 3 x 129 in about 30 places in CHiangmai, but I prefer the three Tigers for 129 (large) with the girl in the Tiger dress. I hear playing the wrong CD can cost you 150K.......