pattaya.baronbonk.com Pattaya Beer garden promisese freelancer boom boom

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.