Thai Jobs/businesses

[Jockstar]

Lets think for a moment regarding jobs that some Thais have. Not great jobs but some seem to make a living to feed their familes. Do you think that some of these would work in a western country? Ok for example as a business. A little noodle shop selling the usual noodles that we can buy here on nearly very street corner. Would it work in say the UK, Us etc? How about a taxi bike service, would that work on the streets of the Uk, etc? Or something like MK or BBQ?Do you think it would catch on? ie MK and BBQ are always busy. Must be a good business?? Just wondering as i had a conversation with someone the other day and they thought that some would work and some not. What are your thoughts?

[ProfessorFart]

A mate of mine used to flog hot dogs and burgers from a van every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in Blackburn town centre.

I guess thats the UK equivalent of a late night noodle stall in Thailand.

He never had to lift a finger for the rest of the week thanks to his takings at weekends.

Good post this because when I see these taxi drivers just sitting around all day trying to land a mug tourist punter I often wonder how they feed themselves.

[meom]

I guess some will work. The thai "entertainment" business you find almost worldwide these days.

Some food business might catch on as well. I used to stay in Holland and during that period there was an influx of Vietnamese refugees. Some of those started a business on the street selling springrolls and they did a good trade so the same could be possible for thai business.

[BKK90210]

Lets think for a moment regarding jobs that some Thais have. Not great jobs but some seem to make a living to feed their familes. Do you think that some of these would work in a western country? Ok for example as a business. A little noodle shop selling the usual noodles that we can buy here on nearly very street corner. Would it work in say the UK, Us etc? How about a taxi bike service, would that work on the streets of the Uk, etc? Or something like MK or BBQ?Do you think it would catch on? ie MK and BBQ are always busy. Must be a good business?? Just wondering as i had a conversation with someone the other day and they thought that some would work and some not. What are your thoughts?

DON'T think that the little noodle shops are selling usual noodles. To farang eyes may be...but not to the thais!......thailand has the most varieties of noodle dish in the world!

I attached photo of some of varieties....these are only some of thai noodle dishes only!....not all

Edited March 24, 2006 by BKK90210

[Jockstar]

DON'T think that the little noodle shops are selling usual noodles

When i said usual noodles i just meant what we see everyday. Wasnt downgrading the varity of noodles. I know that there is many different kinds. I live here and love them all. Though i dont know about the blood and pig organs in the soup. So do you think it could work in a western country. Obviously more expensive here. But lets say 3-4 pounds a bowl. Would you make enough trade? It would take time though for sure. Anymore comments? Or other businesses that you think would work or not?

[Jockstar]

Heres one regarding jobs. Promotion girls pouring your beer. Never had it happen in the west. It would be a good job for someone. But obviously you would have to pay if you owned the bar. In Oz for example they would have lingerie girls sometimes in the pub who would go to the bar for you and then you tipped her. Was always busy when they worked and i never ever seen anyone over step the mark.

[BKK90210]

I love noodles and always have to pay around $7.50 per bowl here in the USA!

How about another idea below....more cultural sensitive - projecting a good image of Thailand

[Thaising]

Thai fast food outlet in Central Business District, with fast motorcycle taxi delivery. Who know, it may work. Fast services & speed delivery always make money.

[daleyboy]

I think England is moving away from the burger van attitude. I drive lorries and for years you have never had a choice on what you eat. It was either a lunchbox or a greasy spoon.

Now however, down near where i live a van has appeared called mild to wild. These boys sell mexican food, burritos, chilli etc. A little bit more pricey than a burger but a lot healthier.

I normally have a chicken or beef burrito, which consists of the flour tortilla with boiled rice, meat, and then you have all the sauces sour cream etc, then the salad and finally your choice of sauce from mild to nuclear blow your head off sauce. Anyway the point i am trying to make is these boys are always stacked out, if you get there at the wrong time you can be queing for 30 minutes just to get served.

So i guess a thai food stall would do ok in the right location, and indeed i have been thinking about starting something up like this, get the wife and one of her friends to work it during the day, and then in the evening find a highly residential area and sell in the evening

[seonai]

It does work Jock (I almost can't call you that, a fellow Scot!) if you are in the right place. Down in London, many places like Camden Market do Thai noodles in front of stalls and pubs and they make a fortune.

[angie]

Where i am from in th UK, they have several noodle stall's there now, (So my mum says)

There are a lot of Thais that have moved there and they are more than welcome.

But after living here for 3 years now, i crave HOLLANDS pies and puddings!

someone open a decent chippy here pelase!

angie

[Jockstar]

Thought i'd get more replies from this. Any more views?

Edited March 24, 2006 by Jockstar

[johng]

Too much red tape in the UK ??????

You certainly can't just set up a noodle stall ( on a whim ) on the pavment like you could in Thailand

[Patex]

Jockstar,

All what you mentioned would work great in the western world!

For Germany it is just that, for example selling noddles on the street, with your first sold bowl you would already broke about 178 laws...

[Prakanong2005]

I always thought a noodle - kweetiu mobile catering stall at Festivals over the summer would work - maybe even work 4 months solid and spend 8 months in Thailand

No business plan put together though and no idea of costs ;-0

Festivals I would think of would be Glastonbury, T in the Park, WOMAD etc etc all the way down to local ones as long as you were doing 7 days a week for 4 months.

I know a guy who started a Thai takeway 9 years ago and until his wife did a runner it was doing OK - very bottom of the end of the market it was too.

[naka]

A Pattaya style beer bar in a quiet London inner city soi. With all the standard “extras”

like a couple of dozen of Udon's finest. Plus motorbike girls to get the punters home.

Naka.

Edited March 24, 2006 by naka

[Heng]

There's a Thai family that does okay selling fried rice in little plastic cups ($1.50 a cup) and egg rolls (2 for $1.00) from two push carts on the UT Campus. They have a van that presumably comes from their house to replenish stocks several times a day. This was about a decade ago. Just a year or so ago I ran into one of the children from this family and they are now also renting out heavy construction equipment off of IH-35 in Austin, so I guess those cups of rice and eggrolls add up.

[Maigo6]

A Pattaya style beer bar in a quiet London inner city soi. With all the standard “extras”

like a couple of dozen of Udon's finest. Plus motorbike girls to get the punters home.

Naka.

In England, you must be joking, place would be wrecked within a week.

[radar]

this idea works well in darwin australia,we have the saturday,sunday morning markets,were mostly thai locals get together and sell their home grown products,including,fruit,veg,hot and cold food,you can even get a feed of larb or somtum if you want.the girls on the paw paw salad stand dont stop there flat out.then in the dry season we have the mindle beach sunset markets every thursday and sunday,and on the thursday you can have anything between 5 to ten thousand people there every week ( no joke )so most of these people have their trailer or little caravan and do the market circuit .its a big buisness.

[Jockstar]

What about motorbike taxis. Could that work?

[Prakanong2005]

What about motorbike taxis. Could that work?

There are motorbike taxi's available that I know of in London - mainly used to rush people out to Heathrow (at least what I can remember from 10 years ago).

I do not think they were a great success though

British weather!!!!! - they had to supply all the waterproof gear

Helmets - women would never use them with regards to hairstyle and a lot of blokes too

All that gel in the hats - yuk

What abut Tuk Tuks?

Tours around say London, Oxford, York, Edinburgh in the summer

There is the licensing issue of course but there is a company that exports them to the UK but i do not know if they are for the public roads

[daleyboy]

What about motorbike taxis. Could that work?

There are motorbike taxi's available that I know of in London - mainly used to rush people out to Heathrow (at least what I can remember from 10 years ago).

I do not think they were a great success though

British weather!!!!! - they had to supply all the waterproof gear

Helmets - women would never use them with regards to hairstyle and a lot of blokes too

All that gel in the hats - yuk

What abut Tuk Tuks?

Tours around say London, Oxford, York, Edinburgh in the summer

There is the licensing issue of course but there is a company that exports them to the UK but i do not know if they are for the public roads

Richard Branson was doing the motorbike taxi thing, you know him any chance to make a quick buck.

There is a firm around at the moment that ride around on little fold up motorbikes, and the offer a driver service, so say you drive and go out for some food, then decide you want to have a drink, you phone thses guys up and they arrive on their fold up motorbikes, and drive you hme in yourt car. What a great idea.

As for tuk tuks you can get them inot the uk and it is possible to get them licensed. Very difficult with the uk regs, seatbelts etc but it can be done. I looked into this very project but it was going to cost so much money i personally feel it would be very difficult to make a decent living at it

[skylar]

A lot of Westerners don't like the concept of suki... I explained it to some people from work when we were trying to decide where to go out, and they all looked horrified and didn't like the idea at all. I admit that I was pretty suprised.

[Prakanong2005]

A lot of Westerners don't like the concept of suki... I explained it to some people from work when we were trying to decide where to go out, and they all looked horrified and didn't like the idea at all. I admit that I was pretty suprised.

I was recently out with my Aussie pal and we were in MK at Paragon and talked about whether it would work in UK or Australia.

We thought it might but not to the same extent.

People who have tried it while away might lead on and take others

I have been to Korean BBQ's in the UK and the Mongolian BBQ's - while not the same they are different to "normal" but then they are not too widespread.

I would be interested in other's views on the Suki/MK thing for the west

[bbigman21]

Heres one regarding jobs. Promotion girls pouring your beer. Never had it happen in the west. It would be a good job for someone. But obviously you would have to pay if you owned the bar. In Oz for example they would have lingerie girls sometimes in the pub who would go to the bar for you and then you tipped her. Was always busy when they worked and i never ever seen anyone over step the mark.

Really! You never had the budweiser girls pour your beer in the west.

And if you are talking about the Hostess. Well won't even go there.

[Jockstar]

You never had the budweiser girls pour your beer in the west.

No! I'm from Scotland and we dont drinking that pish water.

[daleyboy]

You never had the budweiser girls pour your beer in the west.

No! I'm from Scotland and we dont drinking that pish water.

And no shots girls? they are lovely walking round in their bikinis. Almost tempting me to start drinking when i see one of them

[bbigman21]

You never had the budweiser girls pour your beer in the west.

No! I'm from Scotland and we dont drinking that pish water.

And no shots girls? they are lovely walking round in their bikinis. Almost tempting me to start drinking when i see one of them

When to a strip bar last night with the wife and a friend and they had lady walking around with top off selling some kind of flavored shot. I do not care where you are sex sells period

[thebear]

Too much red tape in the UK ??????

You certainly can't just set up a noodle stall ( on a whim ) on the pavment like you could in Thailand

Spot on mate, that's what many guys who settle here are more than happy to escape from but rules & regs aside how many Brits would be as enterprising as the Thai's when it comes down to survival?

[h90]

wanted to write the same for Austria.

I was used to write letters to the gouverments place about complains they had checking a supermarket and a small english pub in Vienna.

I guess in Germany and Austria there are more laws for distributing food than anywhere else. Actually it only helps a little bit to prevent infections but cause a lot of problems.

I think with the first sold bowl you brake enough laws for staying 2000 years in jail, better you rob the next bank, less hasle..

Jockstar,

All what you mentioned would work great in the western world!

For Germany it is just that, for example selling noddles on the street, with your first sold bowl you would already broke about 178 laws...