Buying a bar in Hua Hin

[ttthailand]

I hope Bob knows that he can not work without a permit.

[Spaniel]

I think we should wait for a update from Bob via his friend IsacHunt. Everyone is being to critical. Bob may prove to be a shrewd businessman and he and Lek may make a go of it. Is anyone in Hua Hin familiar with Bob's bar?

[asdecas]

Takes all kinds.

A friend of mine on his very first trip to Thailand, was dropped off at the Chao Phraya Massage by a scamming taxi driver, just hours after his arrival.

Ended up marrying that girl.

Yep. Met his future Thai bride at a Bangkok massage parlour 6 hours after touchdown.

Well don't leave us in suspense, finish the story....

[Andrew65]

Small money and maybe hes testing her before he buy a million dollar house..

Not small money if it was a large part of his life savings

[Jim walker]

another first for Thailand foreigner buys hooker a bar

[Loles]

Dear OP, your friend, Bob is a classic old goat nut, who bought not a bar, he bought illusion. The illusion is very expensive good. So your next post will talk about your friend's crying.

[ebean001]

You guys are all wrong—again. If Bob can manage the cash coming in he can become a wealthy man. I bought a bar for 700,000 bahts in Chiang Mai. First month profit – 89,000. After 5 months – and it was still low season – were making 150,000 bahts profit per month. Bars can be huge profit making business.

A neighbor bar is owned by a friend. He paid 500,000 for his bar and would not sell it for anything less than 2,500,000 bahts. The problem – few people have that kind of money.

All you need is 7000/night. I found we made 50% profit. That becomes 3500/night. That comes out to about 1.2 m bahts a year. Payback was only a few months. And let me add, in a good night you can sell 20,000. The profits are huge.

There is no reason to sell the bar if it is any good.

Bob---go every night and take the money. You can become rich if the bar does even a small amount of business. Most farangs are ignorant of the real Thai scene.

Edited February 26, 2015 by ebean001

[wow64]

Bob's Bar will do fine what would you know op.. besides making fake user accounts.

[kwaussie]

Up to Him!

[StasD]

I am proud of Lek)

[godden]

He and his money are brown bread

[joesanunu]

This is just the beginning of Bobs adventure. Next Bob threads:

-The police, health department, Immigration, Music Licensing investigators, tax preparer, lawyer, suppliers, & staff have all scammed me.

-Bar business in Hua Hin for sale.

-My wife's brother moved into the spare room and I think they are having sexual relations.

-My wife stays up all night gambling with her friends and a loan shark has been bothering her.

-My wife's father is having bad luck. His third buffalo died this year.

-My wife threw me out of the house but I paid for it!!!

[Johnsy]

No wonder Thai ladies think falungs are all satupid.....Bob just gives all of us a bad name!

[thehelmsman]

Don't know what the big deal is. If it works out, he'll make some money and have some laughs. If the whole thing goes south he'll have an interesting story to tell. You guys are climbing over each other to see who can make the most fun of him. Good luck to you Bob & Lek........

[ToddinChonburi]

I geuss I would be worried also but what can you do. He is a big boy and hopefully will not end up with a bullet in the head like the guy got the other night.

[khounteen]

Well, my only advice to Bob is to enjoy it while he can. Shag her every which way he can every night for the memories.

On the other hand, sometimes things may work out fine, look at some of the couples you see running around, some of them started off this way.

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post and the replies to it.

[Kerryd]

Tell "Bob" to move to a ground floor apartment/house and install a CCTV system. Won't stop him from becoming a statistic but may help with the investigation afterwards.

The only way "Bob" could own a part of the bar is if he started up a Thai company with (2) Thai partners that would own 51% of the shares while "Bob" retains 49% as well as 100% of the "voting" shares (or the proxies for his partner's shares to prevent them from selling out from under - or behind - him).

The company would have then "bought" the bar. "Bob" would still need (4+) employees on the books, with all the proper paperwork and tax records, in order to apply for a work permit and Non-B visa (assuming he wanted to occasionally wipe a table or open his own beer). Much more complicated process of course, but the safest (for his investment and protection).

A bar, like a car, condo or anything else that is in the g/f's name, is hers to do with as (and when) she will.

In "Bob's Bar", if he so much as serves himself a beer (that he bought) from a fridge (that he bought) in the bar (that he bought), he could be arrested, charged, jailed and deported (assuming he didn't get the visa and work permit).

2 Golden Rules

1) Never be worth more dead than you are alive.

2) If you want to make a small fortune in Thailand, start with a large one !

There were guys in Pattaya that were living off the money they were making by selling "part interests" in "their" bar to unsuspecting tourists who would then show up to "their" new business only to find out they were scammed. Other people get suckered into buying some cheap side-street bar at the end of high-season, by the guy who himself had been suckered into it at the end of the previous high season. Of course at the end of "high season" (most first timers have no clue what that means) the books look good from the spill-over business of the bigger, better bars. "Johnny come lately" sees the profits and suddenly the notion of owning a bar in a tropical sea-side resort town seems just a bank transfer away.

Then Johnny notices that business is dropping off. The bigger, better bars on the main streets are still doing OK, but hardly anyone comes to his little 3 stool, 1 dartboard booth with his manager/cashier wife and 1 ancient grandma serving girl. Soon he has to let grandma go as business drops even more. Soon he ends up just closing up altogether as weeks go by without any customers and even the bigger, better bars aren't bringing in much business.

By the time next high season rolls around he's learned the ropes a bit and knows he's either got to dump his "bar" on someone else or be stuck with it for another year. Fortunately for him, as the new high season approaches, it brings planeloads of starry eyed foreigners with dreams of retiring in paradise and life savings sitting idle in their banks !

Of course every year also brings a fresh new crop of sweet, young (but poor) girls just needing someone to give them a break, or a bar. I think that's how the whole beer bar business got it's start (in Pattaya at least) !

[Suradit69]

its uncommon but just maybe a happy outcome best of luck BOB enjoy the moment while it lasts

Assuming Bob is an adult not under court-supervision of his affairs then the O/P's concern for him (and the expected responses on Thai Visa) seem to suggest he's feeble-minded.

£15,000. isn't a great deal of money. He apparently made the commitment without seeking advice first from friends or asking that it become a debating point on a public forum so, aside from a friendly warning not to get drawn into underwriting the running of the business, there's a thin line between offering unsolicited advice and meddling in someone's affairs.

If the business is 100% in her name and he doesn't take on any more legal liability, if it all goes south he can walk away from it and from her. If the business and his new companion have some fun for awhile, he may consider it money well spent. It doesn't sound like he regards this as a (financial) investment for his own benefit and anyway he needs to distance himself from the running of it assuming his immigrations status doesn't allow him to be employed.

On the face of it, as described by the O/P, it doesn't sound like a business or personal arrangement many of us would want to rush into, but if Bob has been able to manage his affairs during his life time without the advice of care-givers or Thai Visa experts, many of whom would find it a struggle to come up with Baht 15,000, let alone £15,000. maybe Bob should be allowed to use the money he's accumulated without all the little old ladies in the expat "community" sticking their noses in.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Suradit69

[lavezzi]

The best advice is to live with her in a low floor appartment to avoid falling down and die.

Probably I would have asked him to spend also little money on charity.

[mikiea]

A little bit more info on the situation. At the moment Bob has only put a deposit down on the bar. Im not sure what contracts have been signed but hes due to take over the bar end of March.

well know. ... telling us about ol bob..... yea ol' bob.... your friend ol' bob did this... ya seem to know a lot about "ol bob" we all do foolish things, and yet all we hear about is a "friend" or work mate named bob. kiss the deposite gby, and run forrest run :-)

[mrfaroukh]

You should not be concern about him you must pray now. What right are you talking about? The bar is in her name, that is what it is. Ok fine she can not sell it so what? If nothing else state in their contract the bar belong to her and she used it the way she want. If nothing stand in contract she may be allowed to rent it out or mortgage it to someone else.

[NoshowJones]

It's too late already.Warn him not to put anymore money into the business and not to give any money to Lek.( even if its for 'dying' relatives, funerals etc)..If it's just in her name she owns 100% of that bar.He has no rights!! What a tool! If I were you i would consider giving him some advice and then staying away from this whole situation...

What a wonderful idea. Move to a country on the other side of the world.Pick up a hooker and a few days later give her 15,000 pounds to open a bar. The amount of people who lack common sense is really startling.Perhaps they should teach it in school as a separate subject...( No offence intended! but this sort of story makes me a little angry, not at the opportunism of the girl but at the lack of sense from the man!)....

Teach common sense in school? You obviously don't mean a Thai school.

[dotpoom]

Bob is luckier than most having such a good friend as yourself, I really mean that.

Sadly I have to agree with most of the opinions posted so far but one never knows....i'm sure somewhere sometimes happiness can be found in the most unlikeliest of situations. Let's hope it works out for the best and nobody gets hurt...either Bob or the lady.

[Jungle Jim]

They never learn do they ? When is he getting married ? Another sucker. Sorry i have no mercy for these guys. Let me guess he drinks a lot. My best advice being his friend get as far from him and her as possible. Otherwise he will drag you down with him. Nice to hear at least you have common sense which is seriously lacking with most foreigners visiting and living here.

[NoshowJones]

Takes all kinds.

A friend of mine on his very first trip to Thailand, was dropped off at the Chao Phraya Massage by a scamming taxi driver, just hours after his arrival.

Ended up marrying that girl.

Yep. Met his future Thai bride at a Bangkok massage parlour 6 hours after touchdown.

Are they still together? if so, are they happy?

[Jiggo]

Think I'ii stick to the scrap business.....Harold...

[bangkokjulia]

lazygourmet said:

"What do you want to hear when we're making love?!?

Bob's your uncle."

Bob down

[Oziex1]

Is there ever any sense, logic, cleverness in dealing with the opposite sex in Thailand or anywhere else, don't think so and for those who manage your relationships in cool, calm calculating manner I think you are cold and empty.

Both sides get get great joy and sometimes get stung good luck to Bob and all the others before and after.

[pattayadude]

A little bit more info on the situation. At the moment Bob has only put a deposit down on the bar. Im not sure what contracts have been signed but hes due to take over the bar end of March.

Let him buy! let him do whatever he wants..he will be the one to profit or suffer..dont even get between a foreigner and a thai woman!..you dont want an enemy(or two)