anonymouse

I have to agree with november222.

getgoin offers a 10% discount to all Thai Visa members.
He's not hurting, actually doing relatively well in the down turn.
Offered it because he was asked.

Now some few are picking the place apart- VAT included or not, yadda yadda.

Really makes me wonder sometimes.....

Me dear old mum, she'll be 83 tomorrow, used to tell me:

"If you don't have anything good to say about someone- better to say nothing at all".

DiamondKing, on 2010-10-03 11:59:56, said:

I have no doubt that what you say is true. I too am packing my bags, but the traffic is not all one way.  

I left Chiang Mai early last year for pastures new, but, despite the poor exchange rate, am returning in just four weeks time. I will have a little less cash each month than last time, but can, and will if neccessary, forgo such luxuries as UBC. Nice to have, but not essential. Will make do with WETV, shop around for the best internet deals etc, and 'discretional spending' will mean just that. Fortunately I never sold my condo, so rental costs aren't an issue.

Its the businesses such as bars and restaurants that rely heavily on 'discrectional spending' that have suffered, simply because people need to buy food and pay their utility bills, but don't have to eat or drink out. I think this explains why so many of these establishments are either up for sale or have failed compltetly.

WinnieTheKhwai, on 2010-10-03 00:30:19, said:

Just because someone finds themselves in an awkward financial situation because of the strenghth of their currency hardly qualifies them as "Deadbeats" does it?

It's not thier fault!

FarangBuddha, on 2010-10-02 10:38:44, said:

Well they are doing exactly what the people with ten times or one hundred times that net worth are doing: enjoying cheap beer and cheap sex.  The only differences are what size of home or condo they return to at night and whether they hire out short-time or long-time.  It is the people with one hundred times that net worth that give me pause to wonder why they bother to live in Thailand.

CMX, on 2010-10-03 13:09:04, said:

Actually, he gave you a red for saying something nice about my business. At least he is predictable.


About the Duke's, he has good pizza, he is offering us a discount and has provided free food for many Thai Visa parties. A little gratitude is not out of order.

FarangBuddha, on 2010-10-02 10:38:44, said:

Your little quip about someone with 1,000,000 baht net worth is doing or living in Thailand is not well -taken. People can do whatever they please and can enjoy life with a sense of adventure. You do not have to be a wealthy idiot to have fun in this world. Someday your luck may run out, no matter what your plans where. I do agree life is full of consequences, but life is also full adventure and taking the chance. You sound like a person who would only make a bet in card game if he had 4 aces.

This has been my experience but you are welcome to state and argue a differentiating opinion. Essentially in Thai society rich Thais treat poor Thais in a very non-personal manner, therefore, if you treat a poor Thai person (your maid/driver/the noodle lady/employee) nicely they will take your kindness as weakness. In the West, we treat everyone as though they are deserving of respect regardless of social standing. In Thailand, note that everyone is not equal. You have social classes to heed. You can smile at them but do it vaguely while avoiding eye contact. If you have some extra fruit that you are eating, throw it in the garbage as opposed to spoiling them with it (unless it is close to a holiday in which case you can call it a bonus). Do not engage them on any personal level. Poorer Thais are easily confused and you should keep their tasks and the social order as simple as possible.

That hasn't been my experience when dealing with poor Thais, but then I NEVER mix with the high society Thais, so I wouldn't know how they treat the poor. I just treat everyone the same way i would like to be treated myself. I don't lack for Thai friends and most are of the poorer variety.

However, I don't expect poor Thais to have the same knowledge as myself and I lower my expectations when dealing with people who haven't had my opportunities. Being poorly educated and poor financially does NOT mean a person is stupid. They are just as perceptive as the smartest people in knowing when they are being taken advantage of... or treated improperly. They just hide it better.

All I can say is who cares what other people do?

I was in Non Khai once with my then close-to-my-age g/f.  We went into a fairly nice restaurant, and while sitting, an oldish guy, impeccably dressed, came in with a very young, very beautiful woman, also impeccably dressed.  He held out her chair, and they conversed in Thai throughout their meal.  There had to be 50 years between them, but both seemed happy.  I caught the guy's eye and gave him a salute. He smiled and saluted back.

If you can, why not?  And whose business is it anyway?

While I respect yours and your wifes circumstance and conditions, what you say may be true in a what  may be considered a finer restaurant in the outside world.  But  this is Thailand and the little mom and pop type of street stalls or even shop house restaurant would probably not have a trained cook or chef.  They are someone usually that cooks something their way and most people like it and compliment them on their preparation, and continue to come back.

Then along comes someone with specific dietary needs, and justly so, this cook just may not be prepared to do things in that  manner, and of course this being Thailand, this person would not say they could NOT do something.

I would say it would be on the hands of the person with those specific needs to seek out what may look like a more likely establishment that may have a trained cook/chef that would understand their specific needs.

These are not usually the noodle shops/shop house places and do not usually provide street stall/shop house restaurant prices.

Not just in food or diet, but in  many other aspects of life, there are people with special needs.  They should understand that all there needs cannot or may not be able to be met in all places.

Offered with all due respect to those with specific conditions.

Gonzo

I love how people on here just start to go off based on little to no information. My group meets every Friday night from 7 to 10 or so and some of us can afford to pay "premium" prices and some cannot. There are only about two guys that are cheap. We have had as many as 13 people at a time and will become regulars at whatever establishment we choose. Happy Hour is just the initial draw. I think Chas was very pleased that we met at his place for almost three years every Friday night even if most of us didn't buy beers outside of his happy hour time. I really appreciate those of you who actually had input on this post. I have now checked out the Gekko Garden, we will meet there this Friday to see if the group enjoys the new location. Thanks to some, no thanks to most. I am interested in the 88 baht beer buffet, is that at Samoe?

Next thing you know some will want a discount on the beer they drink while sitting at the bar because they gave it back before they left.....  in the toilet that is....

It is my opinion the the difference in savings or costs between eat in and take out is so miniscule that the whole discussion is an exercise in futility...

There are costs in both in or out eating , that to me makes it a even steven draw.  Not worth the time discussing except for cheap charlies looking to save enough to buy 1 more beer in a week.

Just my opinion

Just maybe that is why you do not see this different pricing any where in the world that I am familiar with..... go ahead tell me all the places that you know about

What's the Point?

I've just had 2 more forum notifications that led to dead links (annoying because it happens a lot!). If there are restrictions on the flow of useful, non-confrontational information on this 'local' Chiang Mai forum, then what's the point?

Keep going like this, and it'll soon be known as the Chiang Mai Burger Forum.  I hope the powers that be are listening to we the members, who are, after all, your customers too!

Aitch

caf, on 2010-09-23 07:27:53, said:

It is very difficult to change what someone has been doing or is doing without it looking like something is going wrong with the business. I would suggest something as simple as a menu change, to scale back the always endless Thai/Western typical menu and to do a limited amount of dishes but do them all well. Something that would also help would be a modest price decrease. This would position the restaurant to start fresh and build. Nightly specials, for example a spaghetti night or a roast pork night at a really cheap price might help. Keeping the seats filled even if the profit margins are smaller is always a better feeling than an empty restaurant.

I'm sorry but no one is probably going to buy the place unless it is really cheap. There are dozens of the smaller pubs and restaurants for sale at the moment.

I also wanted to say that there is no "usual gifts" when conducting a legitimate restaurant except for the token red box which for a small place would be 500 Baht a month. There are others who routinely cruise for donations but their advances should be politely rebuffed and/or the owner should ask for a copy of an ID card for tax purposes. This usually sees them hit the door. If a payment is being made for looking the other way, such as not enforcing parking restrictions, that is another matter.

Advertising would not help this place. What would help is cheap drinks and cheap beer. Make the beer cheap, get everyone in having a few and sell them a plate of spaghetti. Once the ball starts rolling it can usually roll by itself. The trick is to get it rolling.

caf, on 2010-09-23 07:27:53, said:

I think you should have a word with UG and Gonzo, they seem to have been around for ages in Business, maybe also KH at the Red Lion.