Free BBQ Buffet on Fridays at Country Road

[LarryBird]

Are many Thai Visa members hitting Country Road on Fridays? They offer a fantastic free BBQ buffet with grilled chicken and pork, meatballs, potato salad, etc. There's also live music, a nice (free) pool table, and a farang style bar to watch a wide range of sporting events on the big screen TVs.

It seems everyone that goes there always enjoys the atmosphere and has a good time. It would be fun for it to take off and become an even bigger hang out.

Larry Bird

[northernjohn]

Location please.

How long has this been going on?

[expatbrat]

This sounds like an add, but an address would be useful all the same

[LarryBird]

The fb page is here: https://www.facebook.com/countryroadchiangmai?ref=ts&fref=ts

It is directly across from Baan Nai Fan 2 in Mae Hia on the Canal Road. If you are travelling from CMU to the Night Safari on Canal Road, it is about 300 meters before the Royal Flora/Night Safari intersection.

BBQ Buffet starts at 6 pm on Friday.

[masuk]

The fb page is here: https://www.facebook.com/countryroadchiangmai?ref=ts&fref=ts

It is directly across from Baan Nai Fan 2 in Mae Hia on the Canal Road. If you are travelling from CMU to the Night Safari on Canal Road, it is about 300 meters before the Royal Flora/Night Safari intersection.

BBQ Buffet starts at 6 pm on Friday.

I didn't recognise the name! They must have just changed it.

I've going there off and on for the past 8 months. The BBQ is excellent, and I love the slightly spicy Indonesian-style satay sauce.

A big bonus is that there is not the terrible traffic you get heading into town. Parking is not a problem at all.

Keep in the left lane and as you near the traffic lights,(300m) get ready for a sharp left turn into the drive-way. There are signs.

[LarryBird]

Will any of you be there this Friday? The feel like the food has gotten better, and it's drawing a decent crowd.

[Genericnic]

For those of you that don't do FB, here is a map. Sorry it is in Thai but I think you can get a good idea of where it is since you can see it is near Canal Road and 3044. (I wonder if businesses realize how many customers they may miss by using FB as their primary website? I've never found a well organized FB website yet.)

 

 

David

[ericpasansai]

Will any of you be there this Friday? The feel like the food has gotten better, and it's drawing a decent crowd.

so what your saying is the free food for no charge has gotten better so know its worth it to get the free food

[SoiDogg]

Nice place, been going there for the past month or so for the free BBQ, but also during the week for there happy hour, 2 for 1 cocktails. The chef make great western food as well as awesome Thai food. I like the place.

[ARISTIDE]

Why would anyone offers a free BBQ buffet?

[Chiengmaijoe]

Why would anyone offers a free BBQ buffet?

The idea is to get people in, make the place busy and hopefully encourage people to come on other nights or keep coming when the promotion is over. In reality it attracts too many people that will take the buffet and order not much more and invariably don't come on other nights . The Thai restaurant business is very competitive and too many of them offer specials like this , making it more difficult for other places to charge a proper price that would be enough to make a profit and stay in business. Most of these places end up closing a year or two later, depending on how deep their pockets are. To be making promotions like this on a night that they might normally be busy is often an indication of how poorly they are doing. It can be a strategy to create business, but more often than not it is an act of desperation to get people in at any price, even if that price is not sustainable.

[ARISTIDE]

^ Couldn't Have Said It Better

[taotoo]

Why would anyone offers a free BBQ buffet?

Having seen the post above yours, I'd have to agree!

[Thighlander]

My local bar in Phoenix has been offering free food on friday and 2 usd large Dos Equis drafts...been in business 75 years+....no gambling, either. Bar business is tough in CNX. But then again...look how cheap labor is....

Are bottles included in the 269 buffet? It's 115 on Nimman soi 7....draft only. How about the 2 for 1?

Edited June 29, 2014 by Thighlander

[junglechef]

Depending on what's served for free (big USA style steaks? maybe, maybe not!!) and the kind of crowd (big drinkers? maybe that's the idea!) as well repeat business on other night as CMJoe mentioned and in hopes of it becoming a regular hangout as LarryBird wants, the business stragedy can be a sound one. Even if it only makes or loses at a little on those nights it's better then having an empty restaurant no one has heard of. I've seen lots of this kind of thing here, although usually Thai food which might be much less expensive to put out depending again on what they are serving. But I've seen too many people here taking advantage such as sneaking in beer bought at 7/11 I kid you not! Even at University us poor collage kids would buy the place's drinks and eat the free wings!! Best luck to them and I'll stop in on a quieter night and try their grub, see one new paying customer already!

Edited June 30, 2014 by junglechef

[ubonjoe]

A troll post and replies to it has been removed.

[Chiengmaijoe]

Depending on what's served for free (big USA style steaks? maybe, maybe not!!) and the kind of crowd (big drinkers? maybe that's the idea!) as well repeat business on other night as CMJoe mentioned and in hopes of it becoming a regular hangout as LarryBird wants, the business stragedy can be a sound one. Even if it only makes or loses at a little on those nights it's better then having an empty restaurant no one has heard of. I've seen lots of this kind of thing here, although usually Thai food which might be much less expensive to put out depending again on what they are serving. But I've seen too many people here taking advantage such as sneaking in beer bought at 7/11 I kid you not! Even at University us poor collage kids would buy the place's drinks and eat the free wings!! Best luck to them and I'll stop in on a quieter night and try their grub, see one new paying customer already!

It could work, but it rarely does here. If it's a promotion for the first few months of opening it can be a good thing, but if they're still doing it a year later it's a bad sign, especially if it's a Friday night, when they should be busy anyway. All it does is drag the profits down for everyone else and since there is always somewhere with this type of promotion it lowers price expectations of the customers. The promotions range from soft drinks for 10b, a bottle of whiskey at less than wholesale price, free buffet, all you can drink beer at practically cost price etc.

What percentage of people here go to these places on other nights? At a guess, next to none. Farangs especially, got to these places to fill their boots and almost brag of them making no profit, especially for the beer buffets. That doesn't bother me, because it doesn't affect me, but it is an indication of whether they work or not and whether people care. Thais at a free buffet aren't that likely to be spending lots on booze because they more than likely take their own bottle and only pay for ice and mixers, and beer in these places has a low markup.

Enjoy these places while you can, because more often than not they're doomed. But never mind, there's always somewhere new comes along.....

[Thighlander]

Bars on Loi Kroh Rd: No Happy Hours/No Free Food/inflated prices for lady drinks.........their lifespan: one rent increase, if that. Now look at Dayli, off Nimman: Lots of promos; often less than 7-11/food menu starts at 35 thb/large covered outdoor area........8 years and still growing. Most popular place actually on Nimman: Kamrai Bottle Shop; 55 thb large leo/bring your own food. Hard to get a sear after 7 on many nights, and there are at least two AYCD promos within 200meters. Doesn't that kind of blow large holes in the theories posted here? Problem with Country Roads is someone has to drive to get there........also, look at their FB page; lots of pictures of Spaghetti and FrenchFries, zero pictures of waitresses.....no customers in photo of bar on left; one person (likely staff) on the other photo.

[junglechef]

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Depending on what's served for free (big USA style steaks? maybe, maybe not!!) and the kind of crowd (big drinkers? maybe that's the idea!) as well repeat business on other night as CMJoe mentioned and in hopes of it becoming a regular hangout as LarryBird wants, the business stragedy can be a sound one. Even if it only makes or loses at a little on those nights it's better then having an empty restaurant no one has heard of. I've seen lots of this kind of thing here, although usually Thai food which might be much less expensive to put out depending again on what they are serving. But I've seen too many people here taking advantage such as sneaking in beer bought at 7/11 I kid you not! Even at University us poor collage kids would buy the place's drinks and eat the free wings!! Best luck to them and I'll stop in on a quieter night and try their grub, see one new paying customer already!

It could work, but it rarely does here. If it's a promotion for the first few months of opening it can be a good thing, but if they're still doing it a year later it's a bad sign, especially if it's a Friday night, when they should be busy anyway. All it does is drag the profits down for everyone else and since there is always somewhere with this type of promotion it lowers price expectations of the customers. The promotions range from soft drinks for 10b, a bottle of whiskey at less than wholesale price, free buffet, all you can drink beer at practically cost price etc.

What percentage of people here go to these places on other nights? At a guess, next to none. Farangs especially, got to these places to fill their boots and almost brag of them making no profit, especially for the beer buffets. That doesn't bother me, because it doesn't affect me, but it is an indication of whether they work or not and whether people care. Thais at a free buffet aren't that likely to be spending lots on booze because they more than likely take their own bottle and only pay for ice and mixers, and beer in these places has a low markup.

Enjoy these places while you can, because more often than not they're doomed. But never mind, there's always somewhere new comes along.....

Drags the profit down for everyone else? Who is everyone? The places that these kind of customers wouldn't go anyways as they only go to places that give away the house according to you. If you have a free buffet to sell booze you can't really allow the clientele to bring their own and just sell a few ice cubes (luckily I drink mine neat - lol). This is a new business as far as I can tell and your already implying they are doomed (just for trying instead of sitting around and complaining that nobody is there like so many places or even worse just sitting around and playing games on their cell phones and not caring as I see a lot here). Your logic is like the ones who say that I'm ruining it for them when I tip generously when I feel like it (i.e. think it's deserved). Everyone one should do what they think is in thier best interest as long as it's not immoral or illegal. Sounds like you own a restaurant and are afraid of the competition.

[Chiengmaijoe]

I've heard of bars doing a free buffet, but not restaurants. Since it's been open for almost 5 months then it's fair to assume it's not an opening promotion. My observations weren't about this place in particular but rather about how these promotions don't always work and how these type of promotions are often a reflection that the business isn't working and the owners are getting desperate. Hopefully, it's not the case here.

Maybe the regulars know whether or not you can take your own bottle of whiskey on these nights and if so, whether people do or not. It wouldn't surprise me too much if the answer was yes, and yes. I know guys that go to beer buffets and so their best to make sure that the bar doesn't make any money out of them. Drink all you can for 269 baht over 4 hours would certainly work for these guys. If these promotions are working for the restaurant too, great.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=724452354267537&set=a.684259488286824.1073741836.676399282406178&type=1&theater

Edited June 30, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[SoiDogg]

Good crowd last Friday, Keep it up. Met the owner, Fawn. Very pretty girl and speaks perfect English. Wish I was 20 years younger.

[philw]

Good crowd last Friday, Keep it up. Met the owner, Fawn. Very pretty girl and speaks perfect English. Wish I was 20 years younger.

Well put mate, a non negative comment and a refreshing change from the know it all deletes.....................

[taotoo]

[Thighlander]

nice of her farang boyfriend to bankroll it......

[Chiengmaijoe]

nice of her farang boyfriend to bankroll it......

Nasty.

[LarryBird]

Good crowd last Friday, Keep it up. Met the owner, Fawn. Very pretty girl and speaks perfect English. Wish I was 20 years younger.

SoiDogg, that's a bit of an understatement. I would say 'world class beauty' is a better description for her....