Ghost Town Employee Night........

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Many of you have already figured out what I am talking about, because you've seen it first-hand around CM.  On Wednesday evening I left KSK (almost dead) at 19:45 to take a nice walk back to my home by CMU.  Walked up HK, turned left on Sirimang' and decided I would do some beers around there, even though I had 20 cold ones in my refrigerator.  I walked up Soi 5 (my mistake..thought it was soi 7) and didn't see anything, turned left before Nimman, and came all the way back down soi 7.  Cafe had zero customers enjoying their cheap Singha Light and Changs..just a group of employees playing pool.  I would have gone in there and sat alone with the nice TV, but the beer choice was unthinkable.  Kept walking..went by a few places with Chang and kept walking.  Decided I would do a Leo promo at a well known, long standing promo place on soi 11.  3 for 180, Singha large 3 for 220....decent prices, but the place smelled like a frat house on Sunday afternoon, and they had two customers in a place that could hold 150.  I then walked back to Nimman, passing a number of zero customer places...at all price levels.  As I approached Suthep, there was a meeting of BiB, and there were more BiB present than customers at all the bars combined.  A few groups of Chinese dragging their legs and blocking the sidewalks on Nimman, otherwise I don't recall ever seeing it so dead.  How can bar/restaurant stay in business without customers at 20:15 on a Wednesday?  Isn't this the high part of low season?  Meanwhile, back at Suthep, there were hundreds of mostly students, keeping those places at full capacity.  No bars, however, there were a lot more people doing beer picnics along Suthep, than there were drinking at the Nimman bars.

 

This isn't another indictment of CM, nor the NCPO.  They've been keeping those bars around Nimman on a short leash for at least 10 years...noise issues more than anything.  I'm just baffled by how this area declined so quickly.  It seems like a few simple steps could give them a needed 180 degree turnaround.  1) advertise current promotions (within the law), and keep them consistent.  2) guarantee cold beers 3) take steps to get people in there earlier 4) take pride in cleanliness 4) terminate unneeded employees, and those who don't give a shiite about the business 5) eliminate smart phone usage in front of customers...it's counter-productive.  6) Is it really a secret that what many consider to be an undrinkable beer, is 90% of sales in many of these joints....as a result, their customer base is much narrower than it should be.  The difference between Cheers/Archa and what they are promoting?  I would actually be willing to try a cold Cheers or Archa.

 

It's a shame, and it's hard to fathom, why they fail to implement a successful strategy...we're not even talkin' about the complexities of pizza or burgers...just beer...been around for thousands of years...yet, they can't deliver an acceptable product.  I hope they will see "the light," and I don't mean Chang Light.

[sirmud63]

yep . your dead right mate . iv lived in hillside 4 for one year , then moved to chomdoi condo for the last year . i owned a restaurant in loi kroh for that time .   chiang mai is going down the toilet ,and the army is the one pressing the button . . its <deleted> now and gunna get alot worse befor e it gets better .

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I guess I'm too far removed from your preferences in a drinking venue to fully understand your post, but I do understand your main point that there weren't a lot of people around the Nimman sois. 

 

Low or high season may not matter all that much in that area, or at least not as much as the time of the month does:  a weekday in the last week of the month means spending money runs low for many people.

 

Possibly prices in that area are just too high compared to other areas?   I never really liked Nimman and if my kid's dentist wasn't located there would probably go years without setting foot there.  

 

Kind of a wannabe-'Bangkok' in several ways:  traffic jams, pretentiousness, price level.

 

I was in the Riverside area for my Friday Night;  was pretty good.

Edited August 27, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[worgeordie]

Beer,thinking about it,drinking it,and writing about seems to play a big

part in your life KKK,not a criticism,just there is more to life. 

regards worgeordie

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Drinking beer at bars in CM is a part of most adults' lives here.  Not a criticism, but you seem to have that prevalent insecure Brit attitude...there's more to life than needing a nanny to tell you where and when to have fun.  Sorry to hear about the air coming out of your currency and arrogance.  Maybe start a Heinz Bean thread?

 

 

[narkeddiver]

You sure do seem to have a bee in your bonnet about beer and Brits

[sirmud63]

5 minutes ago, narkeddiver said:

You sure do seem to have a bee in your bonnet about beer and Brits

not enuff of one and to much of the other

[heybruce]

Nimman isn't as lively as it used to be, but nowhere in Chiang Mai is.  Midnight closings have taken a harsh toll.  For some reason people haven't responded to early closings by starting earlier, most places in Nimman don't start to fill up until after 9 pm, are at their fullest around 10 pm, then start winding down around 11:30.  Popular places are still moderately lively for these few hours on weekends, but weeknights are pretty quiet.

 

The problem isn't the prices, if you avoid the tourist trap places beer and food prices are much better around Nimman than in the old city and by the river.  Part of it may just be changing preferences, many of the young people now go to Harbor, which has dozens of small bars.  I've only been there once (it's no country for old men) but it had hundreds of young Thai's there on a Wednesday evening.  

 

I agree that part of the problems is that the Chang company is doing a good job of shutting out competition, it's difficult to find a place that serves Tiger.

 

 

[narkeddiver]

21 minutes ago, sirmud63 said:

not enuff of one and to much of the other

 

You're right - you can never get enough of Brits

[WinnieTheKhwai]

What's wrong with Chang?

 

Last night: 

 

 

[heybruce]

4 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

What's wrong with Chang?

 

Last night: 

 

 

The pretties are fine, it's the beer I object to.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

yes, there are all price points around Nimman..that's not the issue.  It just seems increasingly hard to find a place the ticks enough boxes.  Like real estate, it is a matter of compromises, and the lower your budget the more compromises you must make.  However, even the highest price place with the fanciest decor still might not be that good.  I'm just looking for a reasonable combination of cleanliness, professionalism, price, and quality.  Remember, when John's Place was actually very worthwhile?  What did the big sign say?  "Cheap food, cold beer, clean," or similar.  He undercut every bar on MM. price wise, and many of those patrons couldn't have cared less about Nimman.  I actually found it by accident on a bike ride, because they had the 3 for 119 signs out then,,,,and I was content with JP, but I thought to myself it couldn't hurt to try, and then I found myself really having a good time drinking with the Thais.  I told quite a few of the JP crowd about it, and it was just too Thai for them.  Fast forward 8 years and Nimman has changed as much as John's...both are much, much less enjoyable, but JP just seems to be riding out the business he built years ago.  Kind of like the Pentagon Cafeteria, the number of customers will be the same regardless of the quality.  JP owns that land, so that is one big difference.  The Nimman bars seem to suffer just total lack of business sense.  Bruce is correct...the crowds come late, and that's why I addressed that in the OP.....Dayli used to do 5 for 199 before 8pm.....it worked a little...but if some of these places could just get the party going a little, it could really snowball.  Many of us live alone, and would have no problem going out 5-7 nights (or afternoons) per week if it was reasonable/safe/fun.

[sirmud63]

compared with leo or singha . chang will give you a much worse hang over , and it all to do with the amount of preservatives the put in it ..its ok to have a

couple . but its def not a session beer .

[amexpat]

That's what we a Changover.  A couple is two too many. 

[AlexRRR]

Seems hard to get a Aussie style cold beer in CM.....rather a turn off if you feel like having a drink....

[sirmud63]

roo bar in loi kroh has got some coopers beers .and may flower, up the top end  has got bundy rum . 

 

Edited August 27, 2016 by sirmud63

[KhonKaenKowboy]

1 minute ago, AlexRRR said:

Seems hard to get a Aussie style cold beer in CM.....rather a turn off if you feel like having a drink....

If that means out of the ice, but never ice in the beer, I agree 100%...and I know it's super hot in Oz, like where I lived in Arizona and Nevada, and that's how we drink them, too.  Getting a non cold beer is worse than getting a "pube" in your food.  And, when you've been out in the heat, one that is not really cold is totally unappealing.

[sirmud63]

3 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

If that means out of the ice, but never ice in the beer, I agree 100%...and I know it's super hot in Oz, like where I lived in Arizona and Nevada, and that's how we drink them, too.  Getting a non cold beer is worse than getting a "pube" in your food.  And, when you've been out in the heat, one that is not really cold is totally unappealing.

yep . i always kept my beers on ice . the reason being that thai refridgeration just dosnt cut it in the heat . the lowest i could get my fridges down to was 4-5 degs.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

That's a problem with those upright beer fridges...regulators prevent them from going below 4c, which is 39.2F, and that's only if it hasn't been opened in a long time, and wasn't restocked in the last few hours....Tiger says serve at 36F...so that is doomed from the get-go...but it's like how they insist on using toilets designed for sewer lines that are 12 inches from the wall, when most here are only 10 inches or 250mm...they can force it, but it's going to be niggardly, at best.  A lot of the farang run places are just as guilty, and are just as bad about ignoring the born on date.

[worgeordie]

1 hour ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Drinking beer at bars in CM is a part of most adults' lives here.  Not a criticism, but you seem to have that prevalent insecure Brit attitude...there's more to life than needing a nanny to tell you where and when to have fun.  Sorry to hear about the air coming out of your currency and arrogance.  Maybe start a Heinz Bean thread?

 

 

Wow, a bit touchy, not had a beer yet,or is it a hangover, ? 

regards Worgeordie

[dcnx]

1 hour ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

What's wrong with Chang?

 

Last night: 

 

 

Looks like the beer advertising and pretties dressed as beer girls ban didn't work out the way they wanted it to. 

 

Cuties. 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

41 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Wow, a bit touchy, not had a beer yet,or is it a hangover, ? 

regards Worgeordie

I haven't had my diabetes injection, got a load in my Depends, and all the air leaked out of the patch Somchai put on my wheelchair tire tube....but I just cracked my first beer of the week, and that may disappoint the sanctimonious TV posters, who love to sensationalize everyone being a hardcore alcoholic, when they are the ones afraid of their own shadow.  For us younger Americans (50s), alcohol isn't a means to an end like it seems to be for the folks from the UK; we grew up with ample access to good smoke, and if you surveyed most, it would be preferred over alcohol.  But, TIT, maybe in 40 years or so....or when it becomes an economic necessity.  Anyhoo, working on a large Tiger that was 53 THB, out of my modern refrigerator that was about 7700 thb, 3 years ago.  A nice Monte Cristo (duty free) to go with it, and maybe a little Fab 4 on Youtube.  So for 87 thb, I got cold, large fresh Tiger including cost of cigar, in a clean frosty mug, and a chair that doesn't kill my back.  Wouldn't go to Nimman tonight to throw up a 6 inch sub that is only 4.5 inches.

 

And those promo girls look great, could be an asset to any business.  The three warm beers look as ugly as Hillary on her prom night, and I would say many would agree with me....love the promo girls; hate disgusting warm beer.

Edited August 27, 2016 by KhonKaenKowboy

[cyberfarang]

6 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

What's wrong with Chang?

 

Last night: 

 

 

If you were there last night, seems you were the only customer.

[balo]

Interesting topic as I am about to move to CM . I would like to know where the best promotions are , ghost town or not.  And I need draft beer.   

[cyberfarang]

4 hours ago, balo said:

Interesting topic as I am about to move to CM . I would like to know where the best promotions are , ghost town or not.  And I need draft beer.   

If you`re only here for the beer, the best places for a decent draft are the Red Lion and The Pub opposite the Maya shopping mall. But don`t expect any promotions, it`s all about supply and demand.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

6 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

If you were there last night, seems you were the only customer.

 

I wasn't but truth be told do really like places with not too many customers, with a (near) empty bar being an almost irresistible attraction.

 

 

[daoyai]

was on a Neemin soi resto/bar last night, the owner said the popo had been more relaxed lately about closing, there was ample patronage so all was good, went home at 1:AM and passed Dayli, they were just closing and the crowd was massive spilling onto the road, ... oh to be young enough to be of interst to those sweeties... oh well.

[kalbo123]

The Harbor on Huay Keaw road seems to be the latest hang out of all students, check it out, every night packed!

[sirmud63]

11 hours ago, balo said:

Interesting topic as I am about to move to CM . I would like to know where the best promotions are , ghost town or not.  And I need draft beer.   

beer republic has got a few nice ones on tap . but just beware with low sales and turnover  they tend to off in the kegs.  number one bar in loi kroh soi 1 ,isnt bad also .

[MissAndry]

Oxide current promotion for Asahi Super Dry beer, buy 3 get one free.

(I don't go to such places, but see promotions on a CM facebook page)

 

https://www.facebook.com/OxidePubChiangmai/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf

Edited August 28, 2016 by MissAndry