New Phuket entertainment zones under review

[webfact]

New Phuket entertainment zones under review
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Phuket officials are reviewing the current state of the island's entertainment zones, including Patong's famed Bangla Road. Photo: The Phuket News / file

PHUKET: -- The Phuket Provincial Office is looking into expanding the current two entertainment zones in Phuket and the possibility creating new zones where businesses may trade until 4am.

The news follows the latest formal request filed by President of the Patong Entertainment Association (PEBA), Weerawit Kuresombat, who for years has petitioned the government to broaden the rules governing Phuket’s entertainment industry.

His latest request called on the Ministry of Interior to consider expanding the entertainment zones at Bangla Road in Patong and along Taina Road in Karon, as well as consider new zones elsewhere on the island.

“I asked for the government to consider including Soi Sansabai and a small street off Soi Sensabai, in the Patong entertainment zone, and to consider allowing businesses in entertainment zones to close at am,” Mr Weerawit said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/new-phuket-entertainment-zones-under-review-54896.php


-- Phuket News 2015-11-10

[siliconvalley]

Wow, what a great idea. It just happens a lot of the old time farang got screwed out of there bars. Last year a farang bar owner of 18 years requested from Simon Cabaret to renovate his bar. SC gave the ok, but when it was time to pay the key money, rent tripled. Alas, he left 2 million short. But on the flip side, I heard the famed Aussie Bar was selling because Bangla will eventually be redeveloped into high rise condos that of course will be fully integrated. For me the water is half full. Patong will now be controlled by the few. The change in law is the intermission.

[from the home of CC]

Didn't like the place before, will like it a lot less now. Better put a military base in the middle of it, to control all the animals running aroung drunk at 5 am.

[siliconvalley]

Wow. Just got an update on the gossip. If Bangla becomes high rise owned. The outer parameter will become the ones most to gain. In other words, the average bar on Bangla pays 9 million for 3 years, and 100,000 baht per month for a 5 x 5 meter bar. I just heard that Boots & Saddle Bar which has 13 bungalows a massage and nail salon may take the right offer. They are sitting on 160 sq meters. If I had 10 million, I'd inquire. But this is just what I heard.

[The Deerhunter]

Just make the licence to be open,hinges very definitely on appropriate restraint being shown by bar security staff in NOT being involved in violence against patrons or the public. Learn to safely restrain serious problem patrons and call the police to arrest them, just like it is done in civilized countries. Do not stomp or bottle them or you will be closed tomorrow, from one month to forever. Please seriously enforce this rule!!!

Edited November 10, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[DrDave]

Wow. Just got an update on the gossip. If Bangla becomes high rise owned. The outer parameter will become the ones most to gain. In other words, the average bar on Bangla pays 9 million for 3 years, and 100,000 baht per month for a 5 x 5 meter bar. I just heard that Boots & Saddle Bar which has 13 bungalows a massage and nail salon may take the right offer. They are sitting on 160 sq meters. If I had 10 million, I'd inquire. But this is just what I heard.

Are you sure those numbers are correct? If so, there's no way a 25m2 bar could possibly make a profit.

Key Money, Rent & Staff expenses for 1 month:

Key Money: 250,000 (9mil / 36 months)

Rent: 100,000

Staff Salary: 27,000 (conservative estimate of 3 @ 9k/month)

Utilities: 3,000 baht/month (conservative)​

----------------------------

Total: 380,000 baht/month

Assuming a profit of 50 baht/beer (most bars selling at 80 baht/bottle these days), then they would need to sell 7,600 beers/month just to cover key money, rent, staff and utilities.

That's 253 beers/day, or for a small 25 seat bar: 10 beers/seat/night. Just to break even.

These numbers don't make any sense at all. Eliminate the amortized key money and we're down to about 90 beers/day which might be more realistic.

Edited November 10, 2015 by DrDave

[KamalaRider]

Wow. Just got an update on the gossip. If Bangla becomes high rise owned. The outer parameter will become the ones most to gain. In other words, the average bar on Bangla pays 9 million for 3 years, and 100,000 baht per month for a 5 x 5 meter bar. I just heard that Boots & Saddle Bar which has 13 bungalows a massage and nail salon may take the right offer. They are sitting on 160 sq meters. If I had 10 million, I'd inquire. But this is just what I heard.

Are you sure those numbers are correct? If so, there's no way a 25m2 bar could possibly make a profit.

Key Money, Rent & Staff expenses for 1 month:

Key Money: 250,000 (9mil / 36 months)

Rent: 100,000

Staff Salary: 27,000 (conservative estimate of 3 @ 9k/month)

Utilities: 3,000 baht/month (conservative)​

----------------------------

Total: 380,000 baht/month

Assuming a profit of 50 baht/beer (most bars selling at 80 baht/bottle these days), then they would need to sell 7,600 beers/month just to cover key money, rent, staff and utilities.

That's 253 beers/day, or for a small 25 seat bar: 10 beers/seat/night. Just to break even.

These numbers don't make any sense at all. Eliminate the amortized key money and we're down to about 90 beers/day which might be more realistic.

The beer turnover need to be much, much more than 7 600 / month, you are forgetting the bar owners consumption, count 40-50 beers per day.

40 X 30 days is +1 200 beers, maybe 1 day a month as a white day.

Only around +250 bottles a day to be able to push except the owners consumption.

But if the owner have had the bar for a couple of years, the owner don't need more than maybe 4-5 a day as his liver is shot.

Edited November 10, 2015 by KamalaRider

[madmitch]

Taina Road? Are they using pre-tsunami criteria? Or does someone on the committee own a plot of land there? The street has been pretty much dead for several years now.

[flyingdoc]

Any other figures?

[Phuketboy]

Wow. Just got an update on the gossip. If Bangla becomes high rise owned. The outer parameter will become the ones most to gain. In other words, the average bar on Bangla pays 9 million for 3 years, and 100,000 baht per month for a 5 x 5 meter bar. I just heard that Boots & Saddle Bar which has 13 bungalows a massage and nail salon may take the right offer. They are sitting on 160 sq meters. If I had 10 million, I'd inquire. But this is just what I heard.

Are you sure those numbers are correct? If so, there's no way a 25m2 bar could possibly make a profit.

Key Money, Rent & Staff expenses for 1 month:

Key Money: 250,000 (9mil / 36 months)

Rent: 100,000

Staff Salary: 27,000 (conservative estimate of 3 @ 9k/month)

Utilities: 3,000 baht/month (conservative)​

----------------------------

Total: 380,000 baht/month

Assuming a profit of 50 baht/beer (most bars selling at 80 baht/bottle these days), then they would need to sell 7,600 beers/month just to cover key money, rent, staff and utilities.

That's 253 beers/day, or for a small 25 seat bar: 10 beers/seat/night. Just to break even.

These numbers don't make any sense at all. Eliminate the amortized key money and we're down to about 90 beers/day which might be more realistic.

Keep going on those figures. Staff salaries you have only accounts for 3 welcome staff. Try this.

Cashier x 1 = 12000

Bar tender x 2 = 20000

Welcome staff x 4 = 36000

Dancers x 10 = 120000

Key money = 250000

Rent = 100000

Utilities = 3000

Police = 3000

Social security for 4 staff min = 3600

Accountant = 4000

Tax min for work permit = 3000

Wifi = 599 (based on 3BB)

Total = 555199 expenses.

Then you still need to pay out for lady drinks, bar fines, stock, licences, visas, work permits and try to make profit as well. Now we are starting to get to realistic figures. Any bar that is claiming to be making money at the present time is kidding themselves. There maybe a handful that are, but the rest will be losing money. Don't go off what the bar owners tell you, most would never admit they are failing. You only need to look at the bars to see they are not making money. Some look busy, but take away all the staff and how many customers are sitting in the seats? Then you have a few bars that I know of (French owned) have the same people sitting in the bars night after night, drinking for free (owners friends maybe) just to make the bar look like "the place to be". This is based on the assumption that people will go where the crowds are, people attract people, so get a few in the bar for free and the rest will come and pay. :-)

Now back to the point of them wanting to expand the entertainment zones. Where are the customers? They can't even fill the bars they have now.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Phuketboy

[siliconvalley]

Dr Dave and KamalaRider.

I agree with you. Which is why they are selling. You wonder why so many bar bill confrontation. The owners are desperate. The key in my mind is to find that diamond if you're a gem hunter. Outside the core but seconds to it. The lot size or cost per meter is my goal. Example, the Blix Bar sells beer at 150+. Yet you are right, the profit has to come from someplace. Bar Fines and the ability to close at 6am. Thus getting to their 50,000+ a night goal.

Whereas, the other bar I spoke about, the key money and rent is 60/30% lower.

[Phuketboy]

Dr Dave and KamalaRider.

I agree with you. Which is why they are selling. You wonder why so many bar bill confrontation. The owners are desperate. The key in my mind is to find that diamond if you're a gem hunter. Outside the core but seconds to it. The lot size or cost per meter is my goal. Example, the Blix Bar sells beer at 150+. Yet you are right, the profit has to come from someplace. Bar Fines and the ability to close at 6am. Thus getting to their 50,000+ a night goal.

Whereas, the other bar I spoke about, the key money and rent is 60/30% lower.

Blix, IQ and Pink Paradise all pay much more than 9 million in key money. The last renewal I heard was 20 million for 3 years. But you are right, with other bars being much cheaper than those on the front line. However, the cost is still 4-5 million for bars a few lines back with little or no view of Bangla Road. Profit needs to come from somewhere. Greedy landlords are what has driven prices up, owners simply have no choice but to charge more to cover costs.

If your looking for a little diamond, I have been told there are a few down the sois off Bangla going for little or next to no key money and rent being about 50,000 per month. There are also plenty of shop fronts going now for no key money that can be transformed. Was looking over curiosity the other day, found a great little place and decent in size near Baan Laimai near the beach. 450,000 key money for 3 years and only 40,000 rent per month, lots of walking traffic.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Phuketboy

[Kangaloo]

Wown, speculation is rife

The Aussie bar as a whole is not being sold

There is consideration part of it may be !!

As far as "one" of the owners liver being shot. .....

Say it to his face

One of the owners does drink a lot but to the best of my knowledge his liver is doing rather well.

High rise buildings Goin up in Bangla ??

Have heard that old chestnut going around for the last 15 years.

Just like 28 businesses are going to be knocked down on the Southern side of Bangla starting from the beach upwards to make way for a park because it is on public land

Never going to happen !!

As far as your dreamboat calculations go ......

Best to speak when you only know the truth and sometimes not even then rather than talk XXXX

[Thaidream]

I wouldn't take over one of these bars for no key money and no rent- The place is dying... There is not enough business to even take on a bar for free. Why do you think so many are for sale. Owners are desperate to get out. The same in Bangkok. The prices are too high to attract the customers. They are high because of huge key money and rent. None of this is sustainable. People are voting with their feet. I doubt Soi Cowboy will exist in a few years and Nana Plaza is on its way out.

[LeungKen]

Duplicate post removed.

[PattayaPhom]

Missing the point here, expansion means more bars, so more bars means existing bars get a smaller slice of the action...unless drinking tourists return which is never gonna happen in Thailand unless the Baht devalues and owners and staff get real and stop being so greedy. Its taken a number of years but most bar owners realise that it is just so expensive to drink here, combine that with high bar fines and silly NY hooker prices for a moobag from Issan and is it any wonder they are empty as it is. Bangla pre tsunami was a great place for a fun night out on the cheap.........need 10K now to do the same...

[Brer Fox]

Everything is "under review" in Thailand - except all the things that need to be reviewed and we all know what they are.

[KamalaRider]

Wown, speculation is rife

The Aussie bar as a whole is not being sold

There is consideration part of it may be !!

As far as "one" of the owners liver being shot. .....

Say it to his face

One of the owners does drink a lot but to the best of my knowledge his liver is doing rather well.

High rise buildings Goin up in Bangla ??

Have heard that old chestnut going around for the last 15 years.

Just like 28 businesses are going to be knocked down on the Southern side of Bangla starting from the beach upwards to make way for a park because it is on public land

Never going to happen !!

As far as your dreamboat calculations go ......

Best to speak when you only know the truth and sometimes not even then rather than talk XXXX

For your knowledge, you don't know if the bar owners liver is doing well.

I personally know two bar owners who died from their livers couldn't clean out the alcohol and at the end, they only needed 1-3 beers a day to get their daily dose.

And I have told some of my friends, who coincidently owns bars, in their face.

The worst part is that they can't acknowledge that they are drunks on their certain path to a quick death.

[Kangaloo]

Wown, speculation is rife

The Aussie bar as a whole is not being sold

There is consideration part of it may be !!

As far as "one" of the owners liver being shot. .....

Say it to his face

One of the owners does drink a lot but to the best of my knowledge his liver is doing rather well.

High rise buildings Goin up in Bangla ??

Have heard that old chestnut going around for the last 15 years.

Just like 28 businesses are going to be knocked down on the Southern side of Bangla starting from the beach upwards to make way for a park because it is on public land

Never going to happen !!

As far as your dreamboat calculations go ......

Best to speak when you only know the truth and sometimes not even then rather than talk XXXX

For your knowledge, you don't know if the bar owners liver is doing well.

I personally know two bar owners who died from their livers couldn't clean out the alcohol and at the end, they only needed 1-3 beers a day to get their daily dose.

And I have told some of my friends, who coincidently owns bars, in their face.

The worst part is that they can't acknowledge that they are drunks on their certain path to a quick death.

My knowledge about what I have written is quite accurate !!

So you knew two bar owners out of how many ???

You, telling that kind of thing to their face must make them go "Uurrgghhh" every time you walk through their door,

I know it would me,!!!

You talking about someone else in such a derogative way about their consumption of beer or anything else is way out of order and especially so about their health to which you know nothing of !!

Just sheer speculation with no factual foundation, !!!

I spoke to a long time mate of mine from Kamala last night about what you had been going on about and he was of the same mindset as me,

"Not Impressed" !!

By the way how many owners are involved in the Aussie bar ???

Something else you have no idea about !!!

[DrDave]

Wown, speculation is rife

The Aussie bar as a whole is not being sold

There is consideration part of it may be !!

As far as "one" of the owners liver being shot. .....

Say it to his face

One of the owners does drink a lot but to the best of my knowledge his liver is doing rather well.

High rise buildings Goin up in Bangla ??

Have heard that old chestnut going around for the last 15 years.

Just like 28 businesses are going to be knocked down on the Southern side of Bangla starting from the beach upwards to make way for a park because it is on public land

Never going to happen !!

As far as your dreamboat calculations go ......

Best to speak when you only know the truth and sometimes not even then rather than talk XXXX

For your knowledge, you don't know if the bar owners liver is doing well.

I personally know two bar owners who died from their livers couldn't clean out the alcohol and at the end, they only needed 1-3 beers a day to get their daily dose.

And I have told some of my friends, who coincidently owns bars, in their face.

The worst part is that they can't acknowledge that they are drunks on their certain path to a quick death.

My knowledge about what I have written is quite accurate !!

So you knew two bar owners out of how many ???

You, telling that kind of thing to their face must make them go "Uurrgghhh" every time you walk through their door,

I know it would me,!!!

You talking about someone else in such a derogative way about their consumption of beer or anything else is way out of order and especially so about their health to which you know nothing of !!

Just sheer speculation with no factual foundation, !!!

I spoke to a long time mate of mine from Kamala last night about what you had been going on about and he was of the same mindset as me,

"Not Impressed" !!

By the way how many owners are involved in the Aussie bar ???

Something else you have no idea about !!!

You might want to go back and read KamalaRider's post #7 in which he talks about long-term effects of alcohol on the liver. Nowhere in his post does he mention a particular bar or person. He was talking in general terms of bar owners who have sat in their own bar day after day for a couple of years drinking. Could be anyone.

[Phuketboy]

Missing the point here, expansion means more bars, so more bars means existing bars get a smaller slice of the action...unless drinking tourists return which is never gonna happen in Thailand unless the Baht devalues and owners and staff get real and stop being so greedy. Its taken a number of years but most bar owners realise that it is just so expensive to drink here, combine that with high bar fines and silly NY hooker prices for a moobag from Issan and is it any wonder they are empty as it is. Bangla pre tsunami was a great place for a fun night out on the cheap.........need 10K now to do the same...

Read the above posts with calculation and costs to see why it is so expensive. Not the staff or the bar owners fault at all, try the greedy landlords. Then you have more tight arse tourists with no money now than before to make the problem worse.

[steelepulse]

>>Not the staff or the bar owners fault at all, try the greedy landlords.

I agree and the greedy landlords will keep raising the rents until they are sitting on no tenants. It does look like the random punter who has his pockets filled with money and big dreams looking to "invest" in a bangla bar are getting a lot more scarce.

[Jimi007]

There was just an article four days ago saying all bars must observe the national law on closing time, even those in a "entertainment zone." As usual Patong officials seem to be above the law and just write their own. A quote from the article:

PHUKET: -- The Phuket police chief has confirmed that a nationwide order to enforce bar and entertainment venue closing times will be enforced in Phuket in the wake of a British tourist being raped in Pai province, in Northern Thailand.

The crackdown was ordered by Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Pol Gen Wutthi Phuawade after he blamed the bar trading past legal closing time, and called on local officers to be held responsible for any entertainment venues trading late throughout the country.

“Police in each jurisdiction will strictly inspect whether any entertainment establishment opens later than the legal closing time. They must strictly adhere to the closing time,” he said.

“If any jurisdiction allows any establishment to disobey the closing time, the officers in charge will be punished for negligence,” he warned.

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen confirmed to The Phuket News that the crackdown will be rolled out in Phuket, but will be done so in co-ordination with “provincial policy”.

“I will certainly do what the national police deputy has ordered, and enforce the closing times even within the entertainment zones,” he said.

[Kangaloo]

Wown, speculation is rife

The Aussie bar as a whole is not being sold

There is consideration part of it may be !!

As far as "one" of the owners liver being shot. .....

Say it to his face

One of the owners does drink a lot but to the best of my knowledge his liver is doing rather well.

High rise buildings Goin up in Bangla ??

Have heard that old chestnut going around for the last 15 years.

Just like 28 businesses are going to be knocked down on the Southern side of Bangla starting from the beach upwards to make way for a park because it is on public land

Never going to happen !!

As far as your dreamboat calculations go ......

Best to speak when you only know the truth and sometimes not even then rather than talk XXXX

For your knowledge, you don't know if the bar owners liver is doing well.

I personally know two bar owners who died from their livers couldn't clean out the alcohol and at the end, they only needed 1-3 beers a day to get their daily dose.

And I have told some of my friends, who coincidently owns bars, in their face.

The worst part is that they can't acknowledge that they are drunks on their certain path to a quick death.

My knowledge about what I have written is quite accurate !!

So you knew two bar owners out of how many ???

You, telling that kind of thing to their face must make them go "Uurrgghhh" every time you walk through their door,

I know it would me,!!!

You talking about someone else in such a derogative way about their consumption of beer or anything else is way out of order and especially so about their health to which you know nothing of !!

Just sheer speculation with no factual foundation, !!!

I spoke to a long time mate of mine from Kamala last night about what you had been going on about and he was of the same mindset as me,

"Not Impressed" !!

By the way how many owners are involved in the Aussie bar ???

Something else you have no idea about !!!

You might want to go back and read KamalaRider's post #7 in which he talks about long-term effects of alcohol on the liver. Nowhere in his post does he mention a particular bar or person. He was talking in general terms of bar owners who have sat in their own bar day after day for a couple of years drinking. Could be anyone.

And what does this imply ???

"For your knowledge, you don't know if the bar owners liver is doing well"