Bar In Koh Samui

[bsuperior2]

Hey guys im from USA and im planning to move out to koh samui in a few months but i was wondering if anyone owned a bar personally or new how to go about starting one with laws and whatnot. Or could just generally give me some info about it. thanks

[seville]

Go to the business forum and ask your question. I'll be the first one to say it, Samui doesn't need another bar and there are plenty of them for sale. Think long and hard on this one mate.

[SamuiRes]

Hey guys im from USA and im planning to move out to koh samui in a few months but i was wondering if anyone owned a bar personally or new how to go about starting one with laws and whatnot. Or could just generally give me some info about it. thanks

Buying a bar in Thailand seems to be everyones dream but usually turns into a nightmare. Unless you have good experience and know what you are doing you will lose money. I have seen too many go that way and even those that are moderately successful start looking to sell after a year, some even sooner. There are many people here who will sell you a bar - why? Because they can't wait to get rid of it!

[lostsoul]

Straight off the bannana boat into the arms of a BG, how will the story end?

[poorfarang]

Why the hel| does everyone want to open a bar?

And if you cruise around at night you will see hundreds of empty bars.

[RAZZELL]

Why the hel| does everyone want to open a bar?

And if you cruise around at night you will see hundreds of empty bars.

To be honest...how many bars in Samui, or even in LOS in general are actually any good???

I can count just a few...

If you have drive, determination, experience, a shed load of money and connections...I'm sure you could make a go if it...

Or, sit on the otherside of the bar and enjoy the view like me....

[hecky]

Hey guys im from USA and im planning to move out to koh samui in a few months but i was wondering if anyone owned a bar personally or new how to go about starting one with laws and whatnot. Or could just generally give me some info about it. thanks

go into any bar they are all for sale start a thai company get work visa pay for the bar then see how long it takes for all those dollars to disapear unless of course ou do some thing completly differnt like get a few girls show live football (soccer to you) serve western food.

[bulmercke]

Hey guys im from USA and im planning to move out to koh samui in a few months but i was wondering if anyone owned a bar personally or new how to go about starting one with laws and whatnot. Or could just generally give me some info about it. thanks

Don't do it!

[SamuiRes]

Hey guys im from USA and im planning to move out to koh samui in a few months but i was wondering if anyone owned a bar personally or new how to go about starting one with laws and whatnot. Or could just generally give me some info about it. thanks

OK - you have had some pretty consistent and solid advice in this Post which essentially tells you that running a bar in Thailand is a very risky business and the vast, vast majority fail and money is lost.

I for one would be interested to know if the OP is taking this on board or if he still has ambitions to conribute to the retirement fund of a lonely BG!

[Khun Jean]

Or use another angle for opening a bar.

Rent a cheap place, fit it out, put in some nice looking girls pay them a good salary so they are happy, sell beer cheap so you are busy. Then sell it to the first 'idiot' who comes along. Start with it around october when the season is really low. The you are ready to showcase your bar when it is high season. Put a sign for sale and you can sell it in a 1-2 month timespan. Dubling or tripling your investment. All in a few months time.

You can make good money with this strategy. Ones you sold it you repeat it in another location. Everyday 10's of planeloads and boatloads full of people arrive here whos first reactions are to abandon everything in their own country and desperately looking for a way to stay on the island. Thai people know it, farang residents know it. The best paying 'idiot' is the retired one who just recently fell head over heels in love with a bargirl. Do the salepitch to the girl, the man will follow like a buffalo, it is probably his nickname too.

:)Ok i had my fun.

Bars that are successfull are properly managed, with strong skills in how to operate a bar. Just take a look around. Every bar you see you can count how many customers they have. Don't count the 'girls', the old woman, the man at the end of the bar and the few ones talking to him. That will leave you with the number of paying customers. I'll bet you that 90% of the bars have zero or maybe one paying customer. In high season it might go up to 2 or 3. The ones talking to the man at the end of the bar are his friends. When he sell the bar, his friends will move with him, so don't count them. Many bars live of their "friends".

Good bars are easily noticed, they are full until there is standing room only. Be prepared to pay many millions of baht for such a place, which will go down to a loss making business if not properly managed, and maintain style and atmosphere. You will find these in the hotspots. Location is everything, even if you are ten meters from the main 'tourist' road it is already not worth the effort.

Tourists act like cattle, they all move to the same place at the same time, again and again, like some invisible cowboy is leading them.

[Rooo]

Or use another angle for opening a bar.

Rent a cheap place, fit it out, put in some nice looking girls pay them a good salary so they are happy, sell beer cheap so you are busy. Then sell it to the first 'idiot' who comes along. Start with it around october when the season is really low. The you are ready to showcase your bar when it is high season. Put a sign for sale and you can sell it in a 1-2 month timespan. Dubling or tripling your investment. All in a few months time.

You can make good money with this strategy. Ones you sold it you repeat it in another location. Everyday 10's of planeloads and boatloads full of people arrive here whos first reactions are to abandon everything in their own country and desperately looking for a way to stay on the island. Thai people know it, farang residents know it. The best paying 'idiot' is the retired one who just recently fell head over heels in love with a bargirl. Do the salepitch to the girl, the man will follow like a buffalo, it is probably his nickname too.

:)Ok i had my fun.

Bars that are successfull are properly managed, with strong skills in how to operate a bar. Just take a look around. Every bar you see you can count how many customers they have. Don't count the 'girls', the old woman, the man at the end of the bar and the few ones talking to him. That will leave you with the number of paying customers. I'll bet you that 90% of the bars have zero or maybe one paying customer. In high season it might go up to 2 or 3. The ones talking to the man at the end of the bar are his friends. When he sell the bar, his friends will move with him, so don't count them. Many bars live of their "friends".

Good bars are easily noticed, they are full until there is standing room only. Be prepared to pay many millions of baht for such a place, which will go down to a loss making business if not properly managed, and maintain style and atmosphere. You will find these in the hotspots. Location is everything, even if you are ten meters from the main 'tourist' road it is already not worth the effort.

Tourists act like cattle, they all move to the same place at the same time, again and again, like some invisible cowboy is leading them.

Spot on.

[thaidinnotts]

It depends on the type of bar and how much money you are prepared to throw at it. I would bet that the Islander or Tropical Murphys are not for sale.

[game4shame]

if we're speaking girly bars - it's all about:

location

knowing some people you can trust

hot girls

...but location is most important IMO.

[LaoPo]

Tourists act like cattle, they all move to the same place at the same time, again and again, like some invisible cowboy is leading them.

Do you mean cowgirl/bargirl, Jean?

LaoPo

[mosquitoman]

Just what is it that makes the world and his wife decide to move to Koh Samui or Koh Pha Ngan and open a bar? I dont get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Patsycat]

Good bars are easily noticed, they are full until there is standing room only.

Just look at The Islander and Trop Murphs!! Cocoblues is a great place but not alot of customers, good music!!

And I frequented the "Jimi Hendrix Experience" a couple of times and it was rocking....

It depends what you want - girly bars or bars where people can actually go and chill and have a conversation without the hassle of "hansum man" every time they turn around.

Good luck, but I don't think Samui needs any more bars...

[pyros]

Good bars are easily noticed, they are full until there is standing room only.

Just look at The Islander and Trop Murphs!! Cocoblues is a great place but not alot of customers, good music!!

And I frequented the "Jimi Hendrix Experience" a couple of times and it was rocking....

It depends what you want - girly bars or bars where people can actually go and chill and have a conversation without the hassle of "hansum man" every time they turn around.

Good luck, but I don't think Samui needs any more bars...

Yep , you are all right .. there is however a exception to be made . There are more then a few rumours going around that they are going to fix up Nathon to attract people . Looking at Nathon and the rest of the island , this is still unspoiled area . IF and i say IF they fi up Nathon the way they are planning todo , this will be a hotspot and it has no nightlife whatsoever at the moment .Opening a bar here could very wll work out ... the only problem is ... it is not for now . Maybe 2 or 3 years on the story changes ....

[poorfarang]

Why not open a tailor shop in Samui? We only have 500 here, whats a few more? They must be making money because all i see in chaweng is hundred of tailor shops.

[Donz]

You can b successful to open a bar, its how you do it and how much money you throw at it.

Alot of people fail because they buy bars and dont change anything and it just looks like the same as most of ther other crappy bars.

If you want to open a successfull one that has a better chance of success is that you should buy big and spend big and make it better then all the other bars.

You need to make it stand out, you need to spend money on advertising.

If you just go and buy a bar that looks the same and dont give it your all to make a name for itself early the chances are your gone.

[mikeybee]

so american dude do you get a rough picture,some of us believe we don't need another bar,some think it is suicide and some think it's worth taking a chance if you have shed load's of cash. As for me make your own mind up once you have arrived and checked out all of the island's resort's and place's,that way you will not end up blaming us.

good luck and happy hunting

[suegha]

A lot of very good and valid points here to take on board.

A friend of mine has just (3 months ago) opened a bar. He is risk averse, so he got one in Ban Rak, an 'up and coming area' in his words. But more importantly he got a very good deal so doesn't have to turn over too much to make a living. Keeping his outlay down is important to him and he's tried to make the bar a little different with promotion nights and specials.

It seems to be working for him so I suppose with the right planning, a bit of luck, and an ability to work hard it's possible to make things work out. Think long and hard about it.

[mocean]

A lot of very good and valid points here to take on board.

A friend of mine has just (3 months ago) opened a bar. He is risk averse, so he got one in Ban Rak, an 'up and coming area' in his words. But more importantly he got a very good deal so doesn't have to turn over too much to make a living. Keeping his outlay down is important to him and he's tried to make the bar a little different with promotion nights and specials.

It seems to be working for him so I suppose with the right planning, a bit of luck, and an ability to work hard it's possible to make things work out. Think long and hard about it.

I'm not sure if you know the answer, but it will be interesting for the OP and others to know how much money he invested in his business.