Opinion of Restaurant Venture Please

[The Big Mango]

Looking at purchasing a lease for a restaurant in the Thalang / Pahklok area. All due diligence regarding lease , legalities , company structure etc. etc are completly fine so need to go down this avenue please :-).

However opinions of the "concept" are gratefully received , positive and negative.

So the location is on approximate 3 rai and is an existing operation that I think is totally under utalised.

The restaurant itself sits partly over a lake and is surrouded by palm trees and well , "nature".

My idea is to offer pedalos for the lake , have a section of land for animals ( goats , geese etc etc ) and also an inflatable slide / bouncy castle.

These would be offered as a free service to customers and also be staffed / supervised .

As there are a multitude of restaurants in the area and the clientel will be mostly Thai our prices for the food would be priced similary and margins calculated seem to be fine .

I suppose my first question in this thread would be to ask , given the option of taking your children to a restaurant where they could play and enjoy themselves while being supervised while paying the same as other options close by for food / drinks without this would you regulary take this option . Taking of course your happy with the prices , service and quality of food.

Hopefully this thread doesnt get derailed into some weird and wonderfull debate about something completley off topic.

Questions and opinions I await , ty members.

[The Big Mango]

Oh sorry and to add , if you dont have children , would you choose not to go as there would be perhaps alot of children ?

[madmitch]

I'll stick only to the question asked in the first post.

Yes, when my daughter was younger we'd often look for restaurants with something for kids to play with. Even now at nearly ten, she and her friends will go to a playground if there's one, even if the toys and rides are for kids half her age.

Going back a while the Green Man in Chalong was a good example, even though their toys were well past their sell-by date even then. Pretty sure they won't have been updated since my last visit. This applies to many places where kids' rides are somewhat dated and sometimes dangerous.

Something like you are suggesting would, I'm sure, prove very popular. Good luck if you go ahead.

[The Big Mango]

Thanks for replying Mitch ,

I have many thoughts on the idea but would prefer to listen to replies before I throw out all of them at once . But happy the fist reply confirms my general idea and thought process :-)

[krisb]

No I wouldn't. Going out for dinner there's nothing worse than the kid wanting to play on stuff.

All you want to do is sit down and relax without chasing your child on play things.

[krisb]

I'd suggest get high chairs for young kids though. Never enough if any.

[The Big Mango]

No I wouldn't. Going out for dinner there's nothing worse than the kid wanting to play on stuff.

All you want to do is sit down and relax without chasing your child on play things.

But as I mentioned, supervised enterainment for the little one while mum and dad can relax and enjoy there meal ?

I have a son 9 years and I know its difficult sometimes to keep him happy while we eat out.

[krisb]

Bouncy castles are great for kids to break their leg on. Then the compensation kicks in.

[The Big Mango]

Covered Kris , public liability up to 5million . Surprisingly cheap :-)

[krisb]

No I wouldn't. Going out for dinner there's nothing worse than the kid wanting to play on stuff.

All you want to do is sit down and relax without chasing your child on play things.

But as I mentioned, supervised enterainment for the little one while mum and dad can relax and enjoy there meal ?

I have a son 9 years and I know its difficult sometimes to keep him happy while we eat out.

Like I said, kid hurts themselves and it's trouble the day a kid hurts themselves.

I'd have 2 things. ..a bunch of tables for colouring in for the youngsters, and a few computer games for the older kids. PlayStation type setups. Keeps them close to mum and dad (because we don't trust some waitress to mind our kids) and the kids are close by and seated playing computer games.

[schlog]

What kind of food do you offer? This area is mainly muslim, so Halal food is a bonus. Have a look at the newly Dim Sum restaurant coming from Heroines going to PhaKlok on the right side about 1 km. This customers will be then your customers.......

Maybe 10 years ago they tried this thing with pedalos and lake at the Maikhaw lake.....it was a big fail.....to hot and exhausting for thais.

[The Big Mango]

The menu , will be middle of the road to be fair , a mix of Issan , Thai and small selection of western.

Yup aware there is a high concentration of muslim in the area , but strangely the restaurants close by are aimed specifically at muslim or are just normal non-muslim food options.

Take the bbq for example.

For the pedalos , yes can remember them , but im thinking they were the main attraction rather than going there for the restaurant and have them as a bonus option for kids ? May be wrong on that one though.

[MaeJoMTB]

What previous experience do you have of running this type of business?

Do you have contacts among local police and government officials?

That's always the question to ask, because people coming to a new country and starting a new business with no previous experience and no local officials for contacts usually fail.

[schlog]

Covered Kris , public liability up to 5million . Surprisingly cheap :-)

At the big market in your area they also have regularly this castle. Go have a look. I never saw an accident inside this castle.

[The Big Mango]

@ Mae ,

Lived here ( specifically Thalang / Pahklok around 9 years so thankfully overtime have met and the family know whos needed to know.

But agree with your post :-).

Ive actually been going through this idea for a couple.of years now and I will probably put it into action but genuine feedback from expats here is always valuable.

Ps , we nearly opened a bbq 5 or 6 years in the exact location the one is now and I kick myself evertime I go by for not doing it.

[schlog]

@ Mae ,

Lived here ( specifically Thalang / Pahklok around 9 years so thankfully overtime have met and the family know whos needed to know.

But agree with your post :-).

Ive actually been going through this idea for a couple.of years now and I will probably put it into action but genuine feedback from expats here is always valuable.

Ps , we nearly opened a bbq 5 or 6 years in the exact location the one is now and I kick myself evertime I go by for not doing it.

Why didn't you go for it 5 years ago? What was the reason? What is different now?

Why does the existing operator want to sale it? Pics from the lake?

If you go for it this time, then tell me and i will visit your restaurant as a customer. Then i can give you a real opinion with a accuracy of 95%.

[The Big Mango]

I spoke about the bbq but was never commited really to the idea , but kick myslef for not following through.

The restaurant im discussing now was never / is openly for sale by the owner .

We were introduced and over the last year or so ive continued to tell him im interested if he wants to sell and we have agreed on a figure and crossing the Ts and dotting the Is

[The Big Mango]

Cant edit , apoligies .

To be clear Schlog , the restaurant and bbq are in different locations within Pahklok

[beechbum]

I'll stick only to the question asked in the first post.

Yes, when my daughter was younger we'd often look for restaurants with something for kids to play with. Even now at nearly ten, she and her friends will go to a playground if there's one, even if the toys and rides are for kids half her age.

Going back a while the Green Man in Chalong was a good example, even though their toys were well past their sell-by date even then. Pretty sure they won't have been updated since my last visit. This applies to many places where kids' rides are somewhat dated and sometimes dangerous.

Something like you are suggesting would, I'm sure, prove very popular. Good luck if you go ahead.

We have a 6yr old and he'd love it and so would we, being supervised is a great idea, go for it.

PS, A definite NO from me to the computer game idea, stuff that get's them running around/exercising’s the go, get them nice and tiered so when you get home from dinner they’re ready for sleep!!

Edited June 8, 2015 by beechbum

[TobiasML]

I would love the idea. I think it is a great idea but would the staff be properly trained supervisors, life guards, etc. if I would be willing to trust my kids to strangers, then this would be the first thing I am looking for. If that is the case, then I am not that worried about my kids to hurt themselves. They could get hurt walking out of the door and walking over the street. Did you plan for first aid in case that something happen?

[NamKangMan]

Just a few thing off the top of my head, for your consideration.

"The restaurant itself sits partly over a lake" - I would seriously look into the legalities of that.

"My idea is to offer pedalos for the lake, have a section of land for animals ( goats , geese etc etc ) and also an inflatable slide / bouncy castle." - so, will your target market be mainly the lunch crowd?

If the dinner crowd, what about lighting for the many activities for the kids you are offering? Not cheap.

I gather these activities will be outside, so effected by the rainy season. Just something for you to consider.

"the clientel will be mostly Thai" - should be interesting when the bottles of sangsom are finished.

[toddmeister]

If there are already a multitude of other restaurants in the area and you are intending to compete with their prices but offer something different in the way of entertainment, what happens when they see what you are doing and copy? (Maybe not the pedalo's, I'm guessing you'd be the only one with a lake).

I keep reading that's what usually happens with successful businesses in Thailand, a local will just copy and undercut you??

As for the idea itself, are things like pedalo's and bouncy castles still something kids are into these days? I have a 2 year old so not exactly your target audience but even at his young age he is more interested in playing with iPhones and anything with buttons than all the baby toys we've got for him.

Just having a lake I would imagine is a good selling point though. We have friends in Bangkok and whenever we're there they take us to a great Isaan place situated on a lake. Not sure of the area but it's only 10mins drive from the airport. Anyway, the setting alone is reason enough to go there. No bouncy castles or anything but last time we were there they had some live music, just a guy and his guitar playing Isaan music which was good. The lake was well stocked with fish too and I enjoyed just sitting watching them swim around beneath us whilst supping a few Leo's

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[samsensam]

sounds like an interesting concept. i'd worry about staff. i know thai and foreign restaurant, massage shop and travel agent owners who all complain about the difficulty in getting half decent staff. when they do get staff they are unreliable and worse dishonest regarding petty theft. basically the owners have to be on site all the time as they can not trust their staff to work unsupervised. sad but true.

[wooloomooloo]

Just having a lake I would imagine is a good selling point though.

Until a kid drowns while the supervisor is busy on their phone.

You wanted feedback, OP. All this supervision of young kids really isn't a good idea. In fact, it's bonkers.

Go back a step and consider a nice restaurant on the lake without the additional hassle.

[KarenBravo]

The business with the highest chance of failure is a restaurant.

Kids? Count me out!

[bamukloy]

sounds like an interesting concept. i'd worry about staff. i know thai and foreign restaurant, massage shop and travel agent owners who all complain about the difficulty in getting half decent staff. when they do get staff they are unreliable and worse dishonest regarding petty theft. basically the owners have to be on site all the time as they can not trust their staff to work unsupervised. sad but true.

Whats sad is 300 baht a day. Thats why the ones you mention cant find workers. Who would want to massage hot sweaty bodies all day for under 10 bucks?

Probably costs them 40 baht travel and then they're expected to buy their own drinking water.

I find it shltfull when rich thais take advantage of poor thai people with few other optionst.

When foreigners try it on it is nothing less than shameful.

Tell you , I have a quite giggle everytime these lofty business ideas from farangs gets them scammed.

Som num nah.

The rules are very much against you anyway, and with good reason!

Farangs here should think themselves lucky to come here virtually with no questions asked easy visas.

Come here trying to lorde it over all and get rich on the back of what amounts to slave labour..see how long you got the shirt on your back

[beechbum]

Just having a lake I would imagine is a good selling point though.

Until a kid drowns while the supervisor is busy on their phone.

You wanted feedback, OP. All this supervision of young kids really isn't a good idea. In fact, it's bonkers.

Go back a step and consider a nice restaurant on the lake without the additional hassle.

What a bizarre comment

Edited June 9, 2015 by beechbum

[KarenBravo]

I think he means cut the kids activities out of the equation.

It's expensive, a dubious idea in attracting customers in the first place and opens up the potential to future problems, both with staff and possible accidents to the kids.

[simon43]

It seems like you have an additional staff overhead for a lifeguard to watch over the kids.

I know you mention that the lease is all sorted, but can you tell me how long is the lease? Is it a lease on the existing business or a lease on the land itself?

You could do more than just pedalos with a lake:

- Fishing

- some sort of shooting fake ducks (o real ones!) - Thais love to shoot something/someone...

- Floating market for the Chinese tourists

[beechbum]

It seems like you have an additional staff overhead for a lifeguard to watch over the kids.

I know you mention that the lease is all sorted, but can you tell me how long is the lease? Is it a lease on the existing business or a lease on the land itself?

You could do more than just pedalos with a lake:

- Fishing

- some sort of shooting fake ducks (o real ones!) - Thais love to shoot something/someone...

- Floating market for the Chinese tourists

Yeah, pedalos aren't a good idea, just look at the old and broken ones floating around the lake at Nai Harn.