Pattaya Beer Garden Update – 4 July

[PattayaPete 530]

We now have two months of operation under our belts and I am feeling very positive about the future of the Pattaya Beer Garden. There have been no major changes or innovations, which is why my updates have been less frequent. We have our basic business model which seems to be working as planned so now it's just a matter of getting the word out that we exist and concentrating on giving the best service we can.

 

Although readers of this blog and the forums on which I have been posting it are well acquainted with the bar they represent only a small portion of visitors to Pattaya and expats. Every day one or two visitors express their amazement that we exist but they have never heard of us. I've been spending plenty of money on advertising and we are currently on 15 baht buses, in Pattaya People and the Walking Street Journal, After Dark magazine, The East of Siam magazine and have handed out about a gizillion flyers. I'd be surprised if we have reached even 5% of our potential customers with the effort so far so we will continue to spend too much money on advertising. We will also be adding some TV to the mix shortly.

 

One of the odd things about Pattaya is the huge number of media outlets available for advertising. For a small city we have an incredible number of newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations. While this is a great service for the population its a bit of a curse for advertisers as there are so many it is impossible to be in everything. The odd thing about all this is that while the general public remain oblivious to our operation, the sales staff of every single publication and media outlet in town seem to have discovered us. It's been interesting to see the skill level of the various reps with some being excellent and others being terrible. Top marks to Mark for the Baht Buses and Jintana of The East of Siam magazine. True professionals who know their stuff. Brickbats to the Pattaya Mail for not even knowing how many copies they distribute or being able to answer any of my questions (and they have the most expensive rates as well).

 

On the subject of newspapers we will have free copies of the Daily Mail (England) and USA Today (USA) as well as the Bangkok Post and the Nation each day from tomorrow. These are for reading, not keeping. The international papers will be the current edition which means you will be reading it before the people in England or America have even woken up. The papers will be delivered at 10 am each morning, so if you want to have an early breakfast and catch up on the news then you know where to come. On Sunday we will also have The News of the World so you can see what has really been happening during the week

 

The work of the husband of the owner (that's me) is always varied and seems to include a bit of social work as well. Recently one of our customers decided to kill himself by jumping off the balcony of the bar. Three of our tiny female waitresses managed to stop this 6 footer before he could jump. I sat with him for an hour or so as his tale of life in fun city got more and more bizarre. Seems he had bar fined a girl the day before and then after an argument, dispatched her without paying for her services. He told me how all the Thais knew of this transgression and were out to kill him so he decided he may as well end it all himself. As we sat in the bar he pointed out Thai people (our staff actually) looking at their cell phones and told me they were all sending his photo to all the other Thais so they could find him and kill him.

 

Eventually I calmed him down and walked with him to the bar where the girl worked. We managed to find her and I asked her if there was a problem. She said (in Thai) that the guy was nuts and she didn't want anything to do with him but it would be nice if he gave her the 1500 baht he owed her. He duly paid up and I left him nursing a beer and looking much relieved. It's a funny old town.

 

Thanks for all the feed back on the pool table issue. Although many were in favour, an equal number were against. Some people were quite passionate about it seeking me out at the bar to say please do not ruin the laid back atmosphere by adding the tables. My own gut feeling all along was not to do it but so many people asked about it that I was doubting my own decision. Now that so many have come out against them it is an easy decision and we will not be adding them. As others said there are literally hundreds of places to play pool in Pattaya and adding one more is not going to achieve much. For the pool players, there are tables right at our front door, run by the beer bars in front of us so you only have to walk a few feet if you feel like a game.

 

There are no photos in this update. I know people like photos but I've been suffering from rejection syndrome. I've asked many ladies and visitors if they wanted to be on the website but my advances are being rejected. It seems too many guys and girls have too many secrets. Actually I got so fed up with being rejected I passed the official mantle of photographer on to our trainee manager. He had a day or two of glory and his photographic efforts appeared in the one month update. However he soon suffered rejection syndrome as well and has been performing his duties so poorly I have nothing to show for this update.

 

Did you know the Pope works for us? Well actually our trainee manager is named Pope. You will see him looking officially important most days between 3 pm and 11 pm. As he is the official bar photographer, he would be really happy if you asked him to take your photo and if you do, you could end up being displayed right here. You know everyone deserves their 15 minutes of fame. It would be helpful and greatly increase your chances of getting into an update if you are accompanied by an attractive Thai girl.

 

We have worked out most of the kinks in the system and the bar is running well. The biggest issue is coping with demand at evening meal time. We are still too slow at getting the meals out as we get a huge spike in demand from 7 pm to 9 pm. We can have up to 30 groups of people waiting for their food at these times. We are looking at more cooks and more cooking equipment to deal with these spikes but it's a bit tricky as we cope quite well the rest of the time. A few part timers may be the answer and we are looking into that. Most visitors seem to enjoy the bar, the atmosphere and the music and the ladies are turning up in greater numbers as well. There is a lot of buzz on the internet and I really do appreciate those who have gone out of their way to get word out about the place. Remember if you tell two friends and they tell two friends . . . in about 50 iterations the whole world will know.

 

I have been feeling a little greng jai about posting my blog on this forum. Thanks to the mods for putting up with me. As the bar becomes more established i am going to write shorter entries to the blog about some of the many amusing things that occur. I think I'd be pushing my luck to post those here so I'll restrict them to to the blog at www.pattayabeergarden.com. With the mod's forbearance, I will continue to post major updates here.

 

I'll leave you with a very nice review that Baron Bonk, a well known Bangkok commentator wrote about the beer garden. If you want to subscribe to the Baron's newsletter you can do so at www.baronbonk.com

 

The Barons Review.

 

Copycat off to flying start in Pattaya

 

As imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, one Bangkok institution should be delighted by the launch of Pattaya Beer Garden.

 

Thai owner Ann Janoup and her Kiwi husband Peter unveiled the new venture on April 25 with the same concept as the Sukhumvit Soi 7 version ­– cheap drinks, good food and lots of unattached ladies keen to meet foreigners.

The new venue, which has the sea on three sides, is behind The Pier bar complex near the junction of Beach Road and Walking Street.

 

The Cheap Baron has made several forays to Fun Town to check out the copycat in its first 10 weeks. I am pleased to report that it has food and drink prices that would bring tears to a Bangkok bar owner’s eyes, a relaxed vibe, great music, pleasant staff and a lovely sea breeze wafting through a large area able to seat 350 people.

 

It is fair to say that Beach Road still has far more freelancers than Pattaya Beer Garden, though that might be no bad thing when one examines some of the grizzled veterans offering their services by the waterfront. Peter admits it will take time to persuade them to move out of their comfort zone but is using some innovative ideas to persuade them to do so.

The most imaginative is Somtam Corner, which is available free to any freelancer – or anyone else – wishing to rustle up every Thai girl’s favourite spicy salad. Teams have also been out in Pattaya encouraging girls to give the beer garden a try with some small financial incentives.

 

There are no bargirls, barfines or lady-drinks at the beer garden, which used some unusual promotions in its first two months. The “freelancer discount” allowed anyone bringing a single lady to the bar to claim a Bt100 discount on orders. And the “barfine discount” gave a Bt150 deduction to anyone recruiting a female companion from nearby beer bars.

“The model is the Bangkok Beer Garden, which is a very successful business, but we are trying to be more laid-back,” says Peter, who used to have the FLB Bar on Walking Street until he sold it three years ago.

 

“The Bangkok bar is a bit dark and dingy, but this one is bright and airy, with a nice sea breeze keeping everyone cool. We have been pleasantly surprised by our evening trade. A lot of people seem to be relaxing here before hitting the discos.

“It is a big bar that can seat 350 people, so it is quite deceptive. It can look quite empty even when there are 80 customers. We have already had a few nights when every table has been occupied.

 

“I am predicting it will be a great success and be part of the Pattaya scene for many years to come. Operationally, we broke even in the first month, which is a pretty amazing feat. It’s never happened with any other business I have been involved in. We have already built up some very staunch supporters.”

 

Peter says transforming an old wooden restaurant into a modern bar took a substantial investment. It has a large kitchen, a computerised billing system and five high-definition TVs playing rock videos.

 

The beer garden is also paying above market rates to its 41 staff because they cannot be barfined or accept drinks from customers.

 

Unusually, Peter admits he has received some complaints that drink prices are too low. “At Bt50 to Bt65 for bottled beer and Bt65 for top-shelf branded spirits, we are making a small but acceptable profit. If we continue to see the same volume of customers, I see no reason to raise prices.”

 

While it might have been launched as a gimmick, it seems that Somtam Corner is here to stay.

 

“It has been very popular with the ladies,” says Peter. “At first we had a member of staff making the somtam, but now we just let the girls make it themselves, as they all like different levels of spiciness.”

 

Although there has been pressure from some customers to introduce pool tables and televised sport, Peter is biding his time because he does not want the beer garden to be the same as so many other Pattaya bars. Personally, I hope he sticks to his guns – there is no need to threaten its relaxed atmosphere.

 

The beer garden runs from 10am until late and is building up a good reputation for its food, particularly its spicy Thai dishes at bargain prices.

 

Only time will tell whether it becomes an established freelancer venue to rival its Bangkok model, but the signs are that it will survive and prosper even without available ladies.

Edited July 4, 2008 by PattayaPete

[yselmike 397]

If I let you take my photo then they will all know what i look like then they will find me and kill me

and you know who i an talking about

[MM 6,562]

I have been feeling a little greng jai about posting my blog on this forum. Thanks to the mods for putting up with me. As the bar becomes more established i am going to write shorter entries to the blog about some of the many amusing things that occur. I think I'd be pushing my luck to post those here so I'll restrict them to to the blog at www.pattayabeergarden.com. With the mod's forbearance, I will continue to post major updates here.

 

Note from "mod" -- Pete posts the same content on several forums about Pattaya, so this applies to all those, but certainly not here.

 

I will note that one of the main reasons Pete was disassociated from this forum as an admin was to allow him the freedom and independence to post as an unallied business owner.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread, Pete.

 

BTW, I rode a baht bus yesterday that was fully outfitted with PBG advertising. Very nicely done!

[rockinjerry 2]

Pete:

 

Thanks for the update and continued, even better success!

[JONPAT 222]

Pete, how bout a pic of one of them baht busses with the advertisement?

[short 215]

Note from "mod" -- Pete posts the same content on several forums about Pattaya, so this applies to all those, but certainly not here.

 

I will note that one of the main reasons Pete was disassociated from this forum as an admin was to allow him the freedom and independence to post as an unallied business owner.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread, Pete.

 

BTW, I rode a baht bus yesterday that was fully outfitted with PBG advertising. Very nicely done!

 

I hope this disassociation doesn't mean the end for Pete's movies. I'm still waiting for the next one.

 

 

Pete, can one buy a bottle at the bar and leave it there?

Edited July 6, 2008 by short

[kikc69 45]

The work of the husband of the owner (that's me) is always varied and seems to include a bit of social work as well. Recently one of our customers decided to kill himself by jumping off the balcony of the bar. Three of our tiny female waitresses managed to stop this 6 footer before he could jump. I sat with him for an hour or so as his tale of life in fun city got more and more bizarre. Seems he had bar fined a girl the day before and then after an argument, dispatched her without paying for her services. He told me how all the Thais knew of this transgression and were out to kill him so he decided he may as well end it all himself. As we sat in the bar he pointed out Thai people (our staff actually) looking at their cell phones and told me they were all sending his photo to all the other Thais so they could find him and kill him.

 

Eventually I calmed him down and walked with him to the bar where the girl worked. We managed to find her and I asked her if there was a problem. She said (in Thai) that the guy was nuts and she didn't want anything to do with him but it would be nice if he gave her the 1500 baht he owed her. He duly paid up and I left him nursing a beer and looking much relieved.

 

Was the guys name LVP? I think he is probably schizophrenic and needs meds. Calm for now but eventually he will not have someone to stop him.

[glynbuk 29]

Great update Pete and thanks for that, glad you decided against the pool tables, that would have

been a major noise problem for me.

[PattayaPete 530]

I hope this disassociation doesn't mean the end for Pete's movies. I'm still waiting for the next one.

Pete, can one buy a bottle at the bar and leave it there?

Well Pattaya Talk is still my home so I'm bound to do another vid or two once I get some spare time again. Yes, you can buy a bottle and we'll hold it for you.

[capdagde 1,954]

Thanks for the update Pete - it may be boring to you but as I read I can feel the breeze and the ozone and the hear the relative quiet and almost see the view...

 

Cheers

 

Andy Cap

 

P.S. Good new about the "buy and keep a bottle" - note to memory

[flyboy747 21]

See you the week ending 12th 13th Pete...keep 'em cold

Flyboy747

[SPRING 1]

Hey Pete,

 

Back on the ship again of course, and getting ready to hit another, yes another liberty port again for a long R&R session... but this time while still attached to my ship , I guess you can stop ordering extra stock of barcadi now huh?

Send my regards to the staff and tell them thanks for putting up with the crazy american

I posted a short trip report today and will do a better one once we hit Subic Bay, can't give dates out of course or the navy will kill me

All the best, spring

[Greg_B 306]

Well, as most know I'm a big fan of Pattaya Pete and his lovely wife Ann. Of course Nee and Da were favorites on mine at the FLB and they also work for Peter.

 

So off we went with a group of eight and Shilo and OJ joined us with the TG in tow.

 

We ate a great meals with drinks and ice cream for the girls.

 

I picked up the tab @ 2,830 Baht and was still yelling at Peter for his low prices, as the food was FANTASTIC

 

Peter and Ann are great people and it's my pleasure to stop in many times on my trips