Whatever happened to The Avenues?

[guzzi850m2]

Hmm strange, Central Marina had a lot of Westerners last time I visited. Why is C.M. low compared to Central?

 

If you go to shops like Big Camera or BananaIT which both outlets have, the prices for a specific item remain the same.

 

Okay Central got those fancy clothing brand shops you don't see in C.M., the prices are crazy, well off Thais fly to Singapore and buy fancy ladies bags, shoes +more. Much cheaper there for that. 

The Avenue was always an odd fish, I sometimes go to Village Market to see what they have and sometimes buy hard to get food items, if the price is okay.

[giddyup]

Someone clear this up for me please. Are Central Festival and Central Marina two different shopping centres, and are both located on Second Road?

[Seizetheday]

13 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Someone clear this up for me please. Are Central Festival and Central Marina two different shopping centres, and are both located on Second Road?

I think so, I have never heard of Central Marina.

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, Seizetheday said:

I think so, I have never heard of Central Marina.

Well, it's mentioned several times in the above posts and there's a huge sign that says Central Marina out front.

[digbeth]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

Someone clear this up for me please. Are Central Festival and Central Marina two different shopping centres, and are both located on Second Road?

 

Years ago, before Central on beach road (soi 9) opened the one on second road between North and Central , (the one with Big C) used to be called Central Festival

 

Since the beach road one opened, they move the name to called the beach road one(with the Hilton hotel 'Central Festival' now

 

Now after renovations, the old 2nd road is relaunched with the name 'Central Marina'

[bkk6060]

The Central Marina redo is pretty decent.  A new food court in the front building with Starbucks and Mc'Donald's on the sides.

The inside of the old main building has been remodeled and the entire movie area is new.  Big C is pretty much the same but they do have a small food court now and the prices are less then Central Festival.  The food court was packed the day I went.

The thing that I still don't get is all the movies are in Thai.  Maybe a few English would be nice. 

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

The Central Marina redo is pretty decent.  A new food court in the front building with Starbucks and Mc'Donald's on the sides.

The inside of the old main building has been remodeled and the entire movie area is new.  Big C is pretty much the same but they do have a small food court now and the prices are less then Central Festival.  The food court was packed the day I went.

The thing that I still don't get is all the movies are in Thai.  Maybe a few English would be nice. 

Yeah I was wondering if they were going to keep doing the Thai movie focus at the cinema there. Big C cinema had become a niche mostly for Thais while Avenue and Central Beach more international. The fact that Marina is staying with the Thai niche reinforces my theory about the niche tactic for Marina long term when it will need to compete with Terminal 21. 

Obviously everyone's money is welcome at all these places, regardless of nationality, but I'm talking about the tactical focus. 

[bkk6060]

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah I was wondering if they were going to keep doing the Thai movie focus at the cinema there. Big C cinema had become a niche mostly for Thais while Avenue and Central Beach more international. The fact that Marina is staying with the Thai niche reinforces my theory about the niche tactic for Marina long term when it will need to compete with Terminal 21. 

Obviously everyone's money is welcome at all these places, regardless of nationality, but I'm talking about the tactical focus. 

You are right.  I can think of no reason for me to go to Marina now except for Big C and maybe if I am in the area, the food court.

Terminal 21 will be much more attractive and being so close, will probably at some point put Marina out of business.    

[crickets]

killer over priced rent.....waiting for the next sucker to throw a years deposit down.

[digbeth]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

The Central Marina redo is pretty decent.  A new food court in the front building with Starbucks and Mc'Donald's on the sides.

The inside of the old main building has been remodeled and the entire movie area is new.  Big C is pretty much the same but they do have a small food court now and the prices are less then Central Festival.  The food court was packed the day I went.

The thing that I still don't get is all the movies are in Thai.  Maybe a few English would be nice. 

 

Since before the renovation the movies there are always in Thai, For movies in original English it's either at Central on Beach road or the Avenue...

 

Middle class Thais don't even watch Thai dubbed Hollywood movies, so that's one indicator of how the mall aims for in their clientele 

[champers]

On 12/25/2016 at 0:52 AM, pegman said:

I saw a pic that said  Robin Hood. It mentioned the guy from Retox is behind it.

Opens tomorrow (27th) and will stay open 24/7. It's a big place and is a sports pub. Only price advertised so far is full English breakfast for 119 Baht. I wonder if there will be any Maid Marian lookalikes. Some of the clientele may well be Friar Tuck lookalikes.

 

 

[bkk6060]

4 hours ago, digbeth said:

 

Since before the renovation the movies there are always in Thai, For movies in original English it's either at Central on Beach road or the Avenue...

 

Middle class Thais don't even watch Thai dubbed Hollywood movies, so that's one indicator of how the mall aims for in their clientele 

Sure OK.  Many there do not even have Eng. subtitles.  Up to them good luck.  If it was my theater I would have at least a few movies in English.  Why not?  They hate Falang?  It just is strange I think as Pattaya is a major Falang city.  Even many of the Esaan cities with theaters have English options.  Just saying.... whatever if they want to lose customers then.......

[impulse]

On 12/24/2016 at 11:51 PM, champers said:

Spam, chips,eggs and beans, spam, eggs, chips and beans, spam, beans, eggs and chips, spam, spam, chips and beans, spam, spam, spam and chips, spam, spam, spam and spam. 

 

What about haggis?

[champers]

34 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

What about haggis?

What about it? It's called Robin Hood, he was from England. Go to McDonalds and ask them for haggis and deep fried Mars bars while you're at it. McDonalds is Scots?

[BruceMangosteen]

12 hours ago, champers said:

Opens tomorrow (27th) and will stay open 24/7. It's a big place and is a sports pub. Only price advertised so far is full English breakfast for 119 Baht. I wonder if there will be any Maid Marian lookalikes. Some of the clientele may well be Friar Tuck lookalikes.

 

 

An Australian took his loss there..

 

Then an American...must have been a huge loss...

 

Now a Brit will take his loss......

 

What's next, an Indian restaurant?

 

 

[bkk6060]

It is worse then I thought total gutting.  The city is busy with the holidays.  The vendors at the front of the mall on Second Road were crowded. But the mall was empty restaurants dead, etc.   Those stores that left sold clothes that they claimed were always "50%" off for 1000 b.  When you can buy the same shirt for 300 b on the street.  

Anyway, I don't see much of a future for this place and good luck with that Robin Hood Tavern :). 

[KittenKong]

13 hours ago, champers said:

Only price advertised so far is full English breakfast for 119 Baht.

 

Not as far as I can see: http://robinhoodpattaya.com/menu-3-cols/ That shows a full breakfast at 295B (though the description does sound quite good) or 95B for a small one. I think the 119B price is from Retox Game On, which also as far as I know is similar to the breakfast that Retox (original) sells for 99B. And that last is Pattaya's best breakfast bargain.

Food prices at the new Taverrn seem to be up in the Shenanigans/Dicey Reilly's range, which isnt surprising given the location. One exception perhaps is the Sunday lunch which starts at 199B for a small plate. Drinks prices somewhat lower than the competition, but will anyone bother to climb up those stairs to have no view of anything outside? I wouldn't.

 

Still, the guy has made a success of other venues in Pattaya and if anyone can make a go of the Avenue it's probably him.

 

The website is very slow, largely unoptimised and makes my Firefox hang. Using a Wordpress restaurant theme I suspect that it has been put together by an amateur, or maybe for the price of a few beers by one of the many "digital nomads" who lurk in Soi Buakow.

[morrobay]

17 hours ago, digbeth said:

 

Since before the renovation the movies there are always in Thai, For movies in original English it's either at Central on Beach road or the Avenue...

 

Middle class Thais don't even watch Thai dubbed Hollywood movies, so that's one indicator of how the mall aims for in their clientele 

In first paragraph you say all films in Thai,  for Thais.  Second paragraph say  middle class Thais don't watch Thai dubbed films?  So who are they trying to attract? 

[DMC1]

In first paragraph you say all films in Thai,  for Thais.  Second paragraph say  middle class Thais don't watch Thai dubbed films?  So who are they trying to attract? 

The cinema at Central Marina is still showing movies as before in Thai according to the SF website. The cinema has nothing to do with what customers it attracts to the rest of the mall and due to its location will attract lots of tourists anyway.

I don't go to the movies a great deal but when I do I think the choice in Pattaya between Central and Avenue was plenty enough for foreigners. I think it's a great idea to keep the Marina cinema showing movies in Thai as there are a heck of a lot more Thais using the cinemas than foreigners. It's better for the Thais to have the choice of watching foreign movies dubbed or with subtitles.

[DMC1]

Sure OK.  Many there do not even have Eng. subtitles.  Up to them good luck.  If it was my theater I would have at least a few movies in English.  Why not?  They hate Falang?  It just is strange I think as Pattaya is a major Falang city.  Even many of the Esaan cities with theaters have English options.  Just saying.... whatever if they want to lose customers then.......

SF is the same company that operates Central & Central Marina so they can separate the dubbed movies into the smaller complex. Avenue is a different company.

[morrobay]

19 hours ago, digbeth said:

 

.

 

Middle class Thais don't even watch Thai dubbed Hollywood movies, so that's one indicator of how the mall aims for in their clientele 

 

So what do middle class Thais watch if they do not watch Thai dubbed Hollywood films ? !00% Thai films or 100% English films ?

And again who are they trying to attract here ?

[digbeth]

5 hours ago, morrobay said:

In first paragraph you say all films in Thai,  for Thais.  Second paragraph say  middle class Thais don't watch Thai dubbed films?  So who are they trying to attract? 

People less educated than middle class obviously,

 

Aspiring middle class wouldn't stoop so low to watch English movies dubbed into Thai, they're all well educated and 'should' understood English just fine. in any case there'e Thai subtitles

 

On the other hand,

working class won't even read subtitles, it's Thai dubbed only, 

 

The Theater at both Central are operated by SF, they have no problem showing movies in original English at beach road 

 

It's all positioning / segregation, you have this in down town Bangkok too although the price for ticket is about the same for the cheap seats at around 130, but the posh one on beach road has 'premium' seats for 150 in the same theater all the way to first class

 

If a enough Farang enquire at the box office and walk away without ticket or came walking out 20 minutes in and complain that it's all in Thai, they'd sure put a couple showings in English

[KittenKong]

On 27/12/2016 at 7:48 AM, KittenKong said:

Food prices at the new Taverrn seem to be up in the Shenanigans/Dicey Reilly's range, which isnt surprising given the location. One exception perhaps is the Sunday lunch which starts at 199B for a small plate. Drinks prices somewhat lower than the competition, but will anyone bother to climb up those stairs to have no view of anything outside? I wouldn't.

 

Still, the guy has made a success of other venues in Pattaya and if anyone can make a go of the Avenue it's probably him.

 

Apparently "Bite Me Bistro" will soon be leaving 3rd Road to integrate into the new Robin Hood location. That makes sense to me as there has to be a lot more passing trade near The Avenue than on 3rd Road, though I wonder exactly how it will fit with the current RH menu and pricing.

[bkk6060]

I agree with the stairs.  Also, most people don't even look up to see what's there. 

I do hope it makes it.

[champers]

Had the big breakfast at RH the other day. Enormous would be a more accurate description and very good it was too.

 

[chrisandsu]

I can't  see how any stores in thailand actually make money ! For example  samsonite suitcases I bought back home are a quarter of the price they sell for in the mall . A tourist would have to be off his head to go shopping in a mall in thailand ! I was in central mall in Chang Mai yesterday was there for a good 5 hours and only see two shopping bags . Restaurants and food courts must be the only ones making money 

[Jingthing]

I can't  see how any stores in thailand actually make money ! For example  samsonite suitcases I bought back home are a quarter of the price they sell for in the mall . A tourist would have to be off his head to go shopping in a mall in thailand ! I was in central mall in Chang Mai yesterday was there for a good 5 hours and only see two shopping bags . Restaurants and food courts must be the only ones making money 

Yes many consumer items are more expensive here. So what else is new?

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Yes many consumer items are more expensive here. So what else is new?

What I don't get is why locally made items like furniture are more expensive than in western countries. Surely low labour costs should make similar items cheaper.

[chrisandsu]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Yes many consumer items are more expensive here. So what else is new?

Nothing new but when a town like Pattaya is built on tourism it won't get very far trying to intice holiday makers with a far more exspensive shoppping trip . 

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, chrisandsu said:

I can't  see how any stores in thailand actually make money ! For example  samsonite suitcases I bought back home are a quarter of the price they sell for in the mall . A tourist would have to be off his head to go shopping in a mall in thailand ! I was in central mall in Chang Mai yesterday was there for a good 5 hours and only see two shopping bags . Restaurants and food courts must be the only ones making money 

Yes I wonder about this even in Bangkok.  Why go to some Hiso shops in a mall in Bangkok and pay more then most home countries?  Then, how do you take it back for a return if you do not like.

I never see much if any people in these stores.  Siam, Central World, Emquartier, etc. I assume their rent is cheap otherwise, many must be taking a loss.