Pattaya Go-go bars, beer bars & restaurants (News closures and Updates)

[Evil Penevil]

On 9/2/2022 at 7:46 AM, Stillearly said:

I guess they want bums on seats buying drinks , without girls no punters will come in , the barfines seem to put off a lot of people from taking girls  ... method to their madness 

Exactly!  

The purpose of a high bar fine has always been to discourage punters from "taking out" the girls early in the evening. When posters on forums or FB groups write something like, "That's crazy!  I'll never pay x,xxxx baht for a bar fine," it just proves the tactic is working.

It's no coincidence the most popular go go bars on WS are the ones with the highest bar fines.  Stages full of pretty girls attract the steady stream of drinkers who pay the bars' bills and earn their profits.

A go go bar is not a brothel, nor is a lady drink a down payment on a bar fine.  Most customers go go to watch the girls on stage and perhaps buy a few lady drinks.  They aren't worried about high bar fines because they have no intention of bar fining.  One experienced go go owner told me he figures only about 20% of his customers ever bar fine.

However, some visitors are willing to pay high bar fines, particularly Asian customers.  It's clear budget-oriented farang may feel left out, but the demographics of Pattaya's visitors have changed considerably in the past 10-15 years.  High bar fines are here to stay because they are good for overall go go business.

Evil

 

[Mrmango]

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

The purpose of a high bar fine has always been to discourage punters from "taking out" the girls early in the evening. When posters on forums or FB groups write something like, "That's crazy!  I'll never pay x,xxxx baht for a bar fine," it just proves the tactic is working.

Working? I agree that no owner wants most of his girls to leave early, but the owners I have talked to have told me that bar fines are a major revenue stream for the bar.

 

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

A go go bar is not a brothel, nor is a lady drink a down payment on a bar fine.  Most customers go go to watch the girls on stage and perhaps buy a few lady drinks.  They aren't worried about high bar fines because they have no intention of bar fining.  One experienced go go owner told me he figures only about 20% of his customers ever bar fine.

Again I would disagree. +

You have owners who put the girls on stage and are available for a price - Sounds like a Brothel to me.

Ok, each girl can say yes or no, but most are working there for the chance to be barfined.

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

However, some visitors are willing to pay high bar fines, particularly Asian customers.  It's clear budget-oriented farang may feel left out, but the demographics of Pattaya's visitors have changed considerably in the past 10-15 years.  High bar fines are here to stay because they are good for overall go go business.

 

[Evil Penevil]

45 minutes ago, Mrmango said:

Working? I agree that no owner wants most of his girls to leave early, but the owners I have talked to have told me that bar fines are a major revenue stream for the bar.  

I guess we've been talking to different bar owners.  All the go go bar owners I've spoken with have said the revenue from drinks far exceeds bar fines.  They earn a lot more from the girls remaining in the bar than leaving with a customer.  

Also keep in mind that a customer who is willing to pay 2,000 baht or more to take the girl out provides more revenue for the bar than two customers willing to pay an 800-baht bar fine.  The same principle applies to drinking customers.  One who runs up a tab of 5,000 baht yields as much revenue as 20 who have tabs of 250 baht.

45 minutes ago, Mrmango said:

  Again I would disagree. + You have owners who put the girls on stage and are available for a price - Sounds like a Brothel to me.

Ok, each girl can say yes or no, but most are working there for the chance to be barfined.  

Where is Bruce Mangosteen when you need him?  

This is a question of how you are using the word "brothel."  In the conventional sense, a customer in a brothel picks a girl and she is will provide sexual services for him.  The brothel owner keeps part, often most, of the fee the customer pays. That's understood when the customer enters the brothel.

The dynamics are entirely different in a go go bar.  The customer pays to take the girl out of bar; what happens between then is up to the two of them.  The bar owner gets no cut of the girls' fees for sexual services.  The go go dancer also has more freedom to accept or reject customers.

I'm not saying the girls in brothels are forced to take customers, but they wouldn't be employed by the brothel if they weren't willing to accept just about any customer who walks through the door.  That's the whole purpose of a brothel.

Evil

[Horizondave]

43 minutes ago, Mrmango said:

Working? I agree that no owner wants most of his girls to leave early, but the owners I have talked to have told me that bar fines are a major revenue stream for the bar.

 

Again I would disagree. +

You have owners who put the girls on stage and are available for a price - Sounds like a Brothel to me.

Ok, each girl can say yes or no, but most are working there for the chance to be barfined.

 

Yes I disagree with some of what was said.

Bar fines have not always been high to stop guys taking girls out, maybe a bit more nowadays but certainly not in the past.

Bangkok and Manila before the end of the 90s had bars that were always packed and guys took girls out early and late, it was a normal pursuit. Everybody knew the bar fine, there was little discrepancy between establishments.

I travelled extensively back then and never had an issue with getting a girl early or any time that suited me. The bars were happy to see me bar fine at all opening hours and still were packed to the rafters with both girls and customers.

Only during certain events or an expected run of girls, did the owners put in place measures to keep girls from going out and that measure was just to set a time before girls could be bar fined. 10 or 11 pm were times set by some popular bars with great lineups. Most of the time bars just let girls go but most of us would still find quality companions in to the early hours.

I remember on the forums when guys noticed new bar owners bringing in higher and tiered bar fines, it caused great worry among many of us who saw the set bar fines being steadily raised, basically different all over Walking Street.

Just a different business model today coupled with higher salaries for the girls. Again these forums have highlighted salaries in different bars where maybe the need to bar fine is no longer a must for a working girl in addition to her ability to derive other revenue streams.

Sponsors, mobile phone dance cards are all good reasons for working girls not needing to go out with the first customer who shows an interest.

Girls will still go out for the right fee but with other money streams and a preferred customer a phone call away bars can feel happier about keeping their best earners staying in the club for longer hours.

[Mrmango]

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

I guess we've been talking to different bar owners.  All the go go bar owners I've spoken with have said the revenue from drinks far exceeds bar fines.  They earn a lot more from the girls remaining in the bar than leaving with a customer. 

OK, I agree that drinks do make up the largest percentage of a bars revenue, but barfines do make a significant amount of revenue.

 

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

Also keep in mind that a customer who is willing to pay 2,000 baht or more to take the girl out provides more revenue for the bar than two customers willing to pay an 800-baht bar fine.  The same principle applies to drinking customers.  One who runs up a tab of 5,000 baht yields as much revenue as 20 who have tabs of 250 baht.

I agree with that, but its not an either - or situation. IMHO, one of the reasons that there are so many girls in bars is they can enjoy both streams of revenues.

 

[Mrmango]

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

This is a question of how you are using the word "brothel."  In the conventional sense, a customer in a brothel picks a girl and she is will provide sexual services for him.  The brothel owner keeps part, often most, of the fee the customer pays. That's understood when the customer enters the brothel.

I used to live in Reno NV, and my friend was a bartender in the Mustang Ranch, and I did know several women who worked there, and that's not how it worked.

All of the Girls were independent contractors and they paid the owner a set fee for every customer they took to their room, and were free to charge as much as they wanted.

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

The dynamics are entirely different in a go go bar.  The customer pays to take the girl out of bar; what happens between then is up to the two of them.

It's the same. I go to a bar or brothel, I select a girl, we have a discussion about the amount and what services they will do and then I say yes or no.

 

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

  The bar owner gets no cut of the girls' fees for sexual services.  The go go dancer also has more freedom to accept or reject customers.

Come on, its he same! management and the girls both make money off the customer, and there is no requirement that a girl must go with a specific customer.

Granted, a brothel's purpose is clearer than a Go Go bar, but not by much.

 

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

I'm not saying the girls in brothels are forced to take customers, but they wouldn't be employed by the brothel if they weren't willing to accept just about any customer who walks through the door.  That's the whole purpose of a brothel.

OK, we can agree that a Go Go bar is both a brothel and bar.

[CampariO]

All bar owners are pimps.

 

 

 

 

🍿

[SteveBC]

23 minutes ago, CampariO said:

All bar owners are pimps.

 

 

 

 

🍿

And most all of us are very grateful to them for being so !!!!

[lazarus]

1 hour ago, CampariO said:

All bar owners are pimps.

 

 

 

 

🍿

...and all hoes are hoes...no use spitting hairs!  

[Derek Dangleberries]

Jeez how does a discussion on the prices of drinks change so much depending on the subject being discussed.

1. GBOs overcharge for drinks to meet the financial demands of "overheads" out of their control. They make their profit on BFs

2. GBOs make the largest percentage of their revenue from drinks. They don't want their girls to be BFed.

The one common denominator is the GBOs offering a terminological inexactitude to anybody and everybody that asks them a question about their businesses ...And why not? It is private!

 

[boydeste]

Gogos have always made their profit on ladydrinks. You can't do that with no girls.

For many years now the barfine for the girls in many was set at 1.5 to 2k before midnight or 1am, dropping to 1k after. 

It's a simple business plan that works very well if you have lots of hot girls.

The 10 day agency girls used to get 1k per night to dance as long as they got 5 lady drinks per night. If not they got a reduced salary. After the 5 they would get commission per drink. 

Simple but effective. 

[fforest]

18 hours ago, boydeste said:

Gogos have always made their profit on ladydrinks. You can't do that with no girls.

For many years now the barfine for the girls in many was set at 1.5 to 2k before midnight or 1am, dropping to 1k after. 

It's a simple business plan that works very well if you have lots of hot girls.

The 10 day agency girls used to get 1k per night to dance as long as they got 5 lady drinks per night. If not they got a reduced salary. After the 5 they would get commission per drink. 

Simple but effective. 

And how many lady drink commissions does it take to make-up for a 3-4-5 thousand baht LT?..........I will tell you how many.....Lots and lots and lots....

I will say it again...Its all the girls who don't get barfined who are making the GoGos very profitable......The higher the barfine the more profitable the GoGos become.....

I expect to see 3,000 baht barfines soon.....And if that's not keeping enough girls in the bar then 4 or 5 thousand will surely be not far away....

 

I bet there a LOADs of expats who have not barfined a GoGo girl in many a year because of how expensive it has become..

 

 

[gs joe]

I surmise the days of girls BF themselves has gone 

[Horizondave]

When I was in Angeles the line ups were so bad that my wingman had done a deal for a girl on Pinalove before 2200. It got to the point that the quality of the girls and the expected bar fine price just did not lend itself to parting with any cash.

My mate asked me if I was likely to bar fine to which I said 'no'. A few keystrokes on his phone and he had done a deal on his phone for around 1500 pesos for a girl for about 3 hours, he had seen the picture and negotiated the price. He left me as I was happy to have a few beers more (I like bar hopping), met up later or the next day, he was saving about 2500 pesos over a bar fine and repeated a couple of times at different times in the day.

If I was still interested in getting a girl, I think I would be more prone to using a call out service than being disappointed with what is on offer in the go gos and at the exorbitant prices being asked.

The prices are now getting to a point where I would not see the value in paying a bar fine in Thailand whereas there was a time where the value of a bar fine and the quality of the companion was well worth putting your hand in your pocket, not anymore.

I am lucky that I am happy to just need a companion in the bar and buying drinks is about my limit.

As I have said before Oreos and a cup of tea are my bed partner.

[maipenrai]

6 hours ago, fforest said:

And how many lady drink commissions does it take to make-up for a 3-4-5 thousand baht LT?..........I will tell you how many.....Lots and lots and lots....

I will say it again...Its all the girls who don't get barfined who are making the GoGos very profitable......The higher the barfine the more profitable the GoGos become.....

I expect to see 3,000 baht barfines soon.....And if that's not keeping enough girls in the bar then 4 or 5 thousand will surely be not far away....

 

I bet there a LOADs of expats who have not barfined a GoGo girl in many a year because of how expensive it has become..

 

 

Not just expats - a lot of us tourists, long or short-term, will not pay these prices either...

[Zeb]

11 hours ago, fforest said:

I bet there a LOADs of expats who have not barfined a GoGo girl in many a year because of how expensive it has become..

Yep. Plenty of other acceptable options as well. Heaps of them in fact.

[Derek Dangleberries]

1 hour ago, Zeb said:

Yep. Plenty of other acceptable options as well. Heaps of them in fact.

Yep...And at the time of day when your cock wants sex rather than at the time of day dictated to you by a bar owning pimp !!!

[fforest]

On 9/10/2022 at 1:58 AM, maipenrai said:

Not just expats - a lot of us tourists, long or short-term, will not pay these prices either...

I was bored so I thought I would add up the cost of a Soi Bukow beer bar night out with a LT to compare to a GoGo LT which can be getting close to 10,000 baht for a night....

 

This will be a cheap but not crazy cheap night out on Soi Bukow....

 

Well we need some food so what better place to start the night than The Hungry Hippo ...Their specials run 140-200 baht.....So with drink and tip let's say 220 Baht...

Next hit a beer bar.....Lets say beers are 80 baht, you get 2 so 160 baht.. And let's say lady drinks are 160, and you buy 2 so 320 baht...

Let's say the bar fine is 400.... and you leave a 40 baht tip for everything so 440 baht more....

The girls LT fee lets just say 1500 but it could be lower or higher depending on the quality of the girl and the time of night....

The required 7-11 stop some where with the girl.....Lets say 150 baht for that...

 

So lets see

220 baht  plus  160 baht  plus  320 baht  plus  440 baht  plus 1500 baht  plus 150 baht =  2,790 baht for the night......

Not super cheap but about  a whopping 7,000 baht savings over a GoGo LT....

 

The 2,790 baht could be lower if you cut out the high class dining at Hungry Hippo and ate noodle soup...And only paid the girl 1200 LT and cut that crazy 40 baht tip back to 20 baht....

 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by fforest

[Stillearly]

25 minutes ago, fforest said:

I was bored so I thought I would add up the cost of a Soi Bukow beer bar night out with a LT to compare to a GoGo LT which can be getting close to 10,000 baht for a night....

 

This will be a cheap but not crazy cheap night out on Soi Bukow....

 

Well we need some food so what better place to start the night than The Hungry Hippo ...Their specials run 140-200 baht.....So with drink and tip let's say 220 Baht...

Next hit a beer bar.....Lets say beers are 80 baht, you get 2 so 160 baht.. And let's say lady drinks are 160, and you buy 2 so 320 baht...

Let's say the bar fine is 400.... and you leave a 40 baht tip for everything so 440 baht more....

The girls LT fee lets just say 1500 but it could be lower or higher depending on the quality of the girl and the time of night....

The required 7-11 stop some where with the girl.....Lets say 150 baht for that...

 

So lets see

220 baht  plus  160 baht  plus  320 baht  plus  440 baht  plus 1500 baht  plus 150 baht =  2,790 baht for the night......

Not super cheap but about  a whopping 7,000 baht savings over a GoGo LT....

 

The 2,790 baht could be lower if you cut out the high class dining at Hungry Hippo and ate noodle soup...And only paid the girl 1200 LT and cut that crazy 40 baht tip back to 20 baht....

 

 

Two beers isn't much of a night out ....  however whatever floats your boat 

[Glasseye]

On 9/10/2022 at 1:58 AM, maipenrai said:

Not just expats - a lot of us tourists, long or short-term, will not pay these prices either...

 

Another yep...

[Siam Addict]

6 hours ago, fforest said:

I was bored so I thought I would add up the cost of a Soi Bukow beer bar night out with a LT to compare to a GoGo LT which can be getting close to 10,000 baht for a night....

 

This will be a cheap but not crazy cheap night out on Soi Bukow....

 

Well we need some food so what better place to start the night than The Hungry Hippo ...Their specials run 140-200 baht.....So with drink and tip let's say 220 Baht...

Next hit a beer bar.....Lets say beers are 80 baht, you get 2 so 160 baht.. And let's say lady drinks are 160, and you buy 2 so 320 baht...

Let's say the bar fine is 400.... and you leave a 40 baht tip for everything so 440 baht more....

The girls LT fee lets just say 1500 but it could be lower or higher depending on the quality of the girl and the time of night....

The required 7-11 stop some where with the girl.....Lets say 150 baht for that...

 

So lets see

220 baht  plus  160 baht  plus  320 baht  plus  440 baht  plus 1500 baht  plus 150 baht =  2,790 baht for the night......

Not super cheap but about  a whopping 7,000 baht savings over a GoGo LT....

 

The 2,790 baht could be lower if you cut out the high class dining at Hungry Hippo and ate noodle soup...And only paid the girl 1200 LT and cut that crazy 40 baht tip back to 20 baht....

 

 

I can do it cheaper.

Tonight food drink and barfine less than 1500 baht

 

Tomorrow 1500 baht plus tip!

[bob lt]

Bamboo bar

[Derek Dangleberries]

35 minutes ago, bob lt said:

Bamboo bar

 

Ooooooh Yeeh !!!!

Might be worth booking into a hotel that weekend just to witness the return of a Pattaya institution !!!

[forcebwithu]

2 hours ago, bob lt said:

Bamboo bar

They're too late, another bar on Buakhao already opened with their name.

Pic from FB..

https://www.facebook.com/Bamboovipbarcenter

[monkeyman]

6 hours ago, bob lt said:

Bamboo bar

One would hope that 11pm is the closing time for the promotion and not the bar.