What are you looking for in a watering hole?

[TheAppletons]

Yeah, you closed about a year too early.

I'm not so sure, my understanding is that things have got worse from a publican's point of view, not better. upon what do you base you remark, Mr Appleton?

Based upon the fact that I've very few places to go for a decent pint, Pedr.

[rott]

Pet friendly! Not enough a/c places that I can drink with my dog. No joke. There are many dog owners who prefer to bring their (well-behaved) pet with them. Look at how well K-Village does.

If I wanted to drink in a kennel, I would contact the dog pound ....

Bars are not the place for dogs ...

How would you know Steven, you never go out of your room.

[seancbk]

Thanks everybody...this is really useful.

Top of the peeves seems to be the 'open mic' idea (although Smotherb had a great idea...... buying the tonally challenged a beer on condition that they stop!). It does seem that alcohol detunes the voice in proportion to the amount drunk - which wouldn't be so bad - but it also obliterates any worries about making a complete arse of oneself.

On the other hand, I would want to encourage local musicians to come in and jam with us but definitely no karaoke. If you need to read the lyrics, you aren't good enough yet.

Yes, of course to the unanimous request for hi speed wifi - being cheap with bandwidth erases the added value it gives to the business.

On good advice my shorts and singlets are in the bin - on top of my sandals. Not sure I can live without a pony tail, though, it's a babe magnet. LOL.

Attentive staff are hard to find - they have to be taught to look at the customers and to overcome the cultural imperative that says looking at people directly is rude. In the same way cooks have to be taught to taste food before serving it and to know what each dish SHOULD taste like.

I was trained in the business by a slave-driving, hyper-critical traditional publican who was also a genius at running a great family pub - yes Dick, I remember: "There's always something else to do when you've finished that!". All areas should be clean and tidy but especially the toilets, the kitchen and behind the bar. A major cause of failure of foreign bars in Thailand is due to the owner spending more time in his mate's bar than in his own.

The biggest challenge will be to get the right sort of balance between spectator stuff especially sports and live music on the one hand, and the opportunity to sit somewhere more private if that is what is wanted. Obviously choosing the right location and using the space cleverly are important and I have some ideas there including having comfortable booth seats and screening areas acoustically. I'd like Customers to be able to select their favorite songs from touch screens in all the booths or from their smart phones. It should be possible to have different types of music playing simultaneously in different areas without clashing. The technology is available and getting cheaper all the time.

Finally to the heart of the matter: I'm English but - perversely perhaps - I don't like warm beer. A beer is cold enough if holding the bottle for a long pull makes the fingers start to hurt. As for choice, start with the widest range of wet sales that can be held in stock listen to customers and slowly find what sells and what doesn't.

Please keep the ideas coming. What about a theme; I think there has to be something special that makes a place unique and gives it a 'personality'. Ideas welcome. Finally, nobody asked for a pool table (except Shaggy 851), Foosball table or Jukebox. Is that because these things are taken for granted or are they becoming passe? I'm getting quite a buzz out of this - I expected a lot more advice to forget about the whole thing.

Pieman,

How long have you been living in Bangkok?

What bars and pubs do you know here?

How many of the owners have you been to chat to?

If you'd like some help I can introduce you to a few successful bar owners in Bangkok.

[Pieman]

Pieman,

How long have you been living in Bangkok?

What bars and pubs do you know here?

How many of the owners have you been to chat to?

If you'd like some help I can introduce you to a few successful bar owners in Bangkok.

Thailand 15 years of which Bangkok about 5 but not recently.

I know most of the bars mentioned in the thread but not any of those opened in the last couple of years.

I know a few owners, some well , some on nodding terms.

Thanks for the offer. I'll PM you when I know the dates I'll be there.

[smokie36]

Pieman,

How long have you been living in Bangkok?

What bars and pubs do you know here?

How many of the owners have you been to chat to?

If you'd like some help I can introduce you to a few successful bar owners in Bangkok.

Thailand 15 years of which Bangkok about 5 but not recently.

I know most of the bars mentioned in the thread but not any of those opened in the last couple of years.

I know a few owners, some well , some on nodding terms.

Thanks for the offer. I'll PM you when I know the dates I'll be there.

I'm in....when's the piss up?

[EmptyHead]

Cheap cold beer

Free nibbles (e.g salty popcorn or nuts)

Being able to select one's own music from YouTube

Friendly fat girls

Frottage

Being allowed to order food in (from outside)

Getting a free round of drinks now and again

A toydog for everyone to adore

No closing time

[TheAppletons]

Cheap cold beer

Free nibbles (e.g salty popcorn or nuts)

Being able to select one's own music from YouTube

Friendly fat girls

Frottage

Being allowed to order food in (from outside)

Getting a free round of drinks now and again

A toydog for everyone to adore

No closing time

Are you describing a bar or your home?

[SoiBiker]

Sounds like some of you basically want an old folks home with added cold beer.

[EmptyHead]

Cheap cold beer

Free nibbles (e.g salty popcorn or nuts)

Being able to select one's own music from YouTube

Friendly fat girls

Frottage

Being allowed to order food in (from outside)

Getting a free round of drinks now and again

A toydog for everyone to adore

No closing time

Are you describing a bar or your home?

I suppose it kinda is, except without the friendly fat girls.

[GeorgeBrown]

Outdoor beer garden with a view for people watching if I am having a quiet one, happy hour and promotions, live music at night. Friendly staff that are chatty, A good farang bar manager, and people that can hold a conversation in English working behind the bar. Bar food, something tasty but simple. Pool table. Room to rent upstairs by the hour may be an idea for Thailand.....

[arunsakda]

If a joint is to employ BG's I think it should be clearly a lady or ladyboy place , and not a mix of the two, which is so frequent now.

Some customers like buying a few drinks for staff, but do not care to be pawed-up by a LB. However these gals are frequently the most aggressive. They then tend to get upset when rebuffed and spoil the atmosphere and earnings for the establishment.

( Before you label me a bigot I think I am a strong ally of the LGBT community. We patronize several Gay owned restaurants, two the best lounge/bars on the island I'm based at are LGBT centric, and I occasionally go to a Gay bar in CM, which is open to all comers regardless of orientation, and get along fine with the owner and the regulars there. These are just nice people to have a beer with, not "hostesses" trying to feel people up and scam lady drinks.)