The Race to the Bottom is ongoing

[Skalliwag]

1 minute ago, Pumpuynarak said:

TIT could be anything Skally lol

Forequarter monkey,bone in chops?

yikes.

[Pumpuynarak]

Just now, Skalliwag said:

Forequarter monkey,bone in chops?

yikes.

LOL, i watched a foodie prog the other night and they were preparing Camel would you believe, even the hump !!! I've eaten Croc in Thailand and Ostrich in Spain, bloody nice too.

[Skalliwag]

6 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

LOL, i watched a foodie prog the other night and they were preparing Camel would you believe, even the hump !!! I've eaten Croc in Thailand and Ostrich in Spain, bloody nice too.

Not done camel before.

Croc,roo...even Bear.But not camel.

Makes me think of Karl Pilkington ,on the fucking camel.lol.

funny as f**k.

[KWA]

11 hours ago, Lanzalad said:

This s the 99 baht pork chop and chips... it does looks great for the 99 baht and it makes me wonder what the profit or if any what would it be..?

My guess is the ingredients would probably cost me 50 baht or so.  If they can buy them for 40, that gives 60 baht to contribute to running the place, so waitresses, cooks, rent, utilities etc.  Sell enough of them and you'll make money. 

French toast for example where the ingredients are maybe 10 baht and the price 79.

10 each of these 2 items a day could bring in 1,300 baht contribution, so two waitresses and a cook paid for at 300 per day per waitress and 500 daily for the cook with a bit to spare, and they sell a lot more than 10 meals a day.

[Thai Spice]

2 hours ago, KWA said:

My guess is the ingredients would probably cost me 50 baht or so.  If they can buy them for 40, that gives 60 baht to contribute to running the place, so waitresses, cooks, rent, utilities etc.  Sell enough of them and you'll make money. 

French toast for example where the ingredients are maybe 10 baht and the price 79.

10 each of these 2 items a day could bring in 1,300 baht contribution, so two waitresses and a cook paid for at 300 per day per waitress and 500 daily for the cook with a bit to spare, and they sell a lot more than 10 meals a day.

Thats the whole issue "sell enough of them" . Because every other joint in a 500m radius is trying the same thing.

Razor thin margins compensated by volume of sales works only in a very few domains. 

Even Grab and Uber lose fortunes with this principle.

 

[Ivan the terrible]

9 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

LOL, i watched a foodie prog the other night and they were preparing Camel would you believe, even the hump !!! I've eaten Croc in Thailand and Ostrich in Spain, bloody nice too.

 haha ..think i must have "had the hump" on more than a few occasions

[KWA]

18 hours ago, Thai Spice said:

Razor thin margins compensated by volume of sales works only in a very few domains.

Do you really think the margins quoted are razor thin?  60% and 87% for the two items quoted.  I don't know usual restaurant pricing but this doesn't seem out of order.

I agree, you need everything to come together just right, but the point was that the 99 baht meals may indicate a race to the bottom pricewise, but not necessarily in quality, as evidenced by lanzalad's pic.

[Skalliwag]

17 hours ago, Ivan the terrible said:

 haha ..think i must have "had the hump" on more than a few occasions

Ooomph.🤦‍♂️

[farangme]

On 8/7/2019 at 5:38 AM, KWA said:

My guess is the ingredients would probably cost me 50 baht or so.  If they can buy them for 40, that gives 60 baht to contribute to running the place, so waitresses, cooks, rent, utilities etc.  Sell enough of them and you'll make money. 

French toast for example where the ingredients are maybe 10 baht and the price 79.

10 each of these 2 items a day could bring in 1,300 baht contribution, so two waitresses and a cook paid for at 300 per day per waitress and 500 daily for the cook with a bit to spare, and they sell a lot more than 10 meals a day.

My friend, there's no such thing as a cook in Pattaya. Just some bird that's gotten too fat to sponsor or in between sponsors.

Trust me, there's NO PROFIT on these meals.

It's way more expensive than you think. You physically have to go buy them. And this COSTS MONEY and it carries risk if the person doing the shopping for ingredients hasn't a work permit, He or She can be arrested. Been many caught at Makro. 

Simply not worth it at these prices. It's a case of give away food in the hope of selling loads of alcohol.

[KWA]

20 hours ago, farangme said:

My friend, there's no such thing as a cook in Pattaya. Just some bird that's gotten too fat to sponsor or in between sponsors.

Trust me, there's NO PROFIT on these meals.

It's way more expensive than you think. You physically have to go buy them. And this COSTS MONEY and it carries risk if the person doing the shopping for ingredients hasn't a work permit, He or She can be arrested. Been many caught at Makro. 

Simply not worth it at these prices. It's a case of give away food in the hope of selling loads of alcohol.

I know your talking  with a sight more experience than me, so how do the numbers I've given stack up?  Prices I can see in shops and I've cut them a bit for volume/trade pricing.  Quantities sold I don't know, but I've sat in Chunky Monkey and seen 10 meals sold in 10 minutes so extrapolate that and volume appears to be there.  It's mark up for overheads I don't know but %age wise, their model appears good.  They don't sell much drink and Robin appears to know what he's doing, so what am I missing?

[farangme]

9 hours ago, KWA said:

I know your talking  with a sight more experience than me, so how do the numbers I've given stack up?  Prices I can see in shops and I've cut them a bit for volume/trade pricing.  Quantities sold I don't know, but I've sat in Chunky Monkey and seen 10 meals sold in 10 minutes so extrapolate that and volume appears to be there.  It's mark up for overheads I don't know but %age wise, their model appears good.  They don't sell much drink and Robin appears to know what he's doing, so what am I missing?

The Thai factor. Staff messing up orders, unexpected bills and scams. Police extortion. Price of gas to cook. Condiments, sauces etc. Cost to transport goods. Maintaining and replacing abused equipment. It all adds up. For these 10 meals they need a washer up, a service and a cook and a cashier. Look at a UK restaurant, they are always understaffed because the staff can multi task and do a proper job. Not the same in Thailand. In one hand and out the other... guaranteed.

A good bar with girls can still do OK but these places, like your example will be gone and forgotten in the future, while the bars with nice girls are still there.

[Evil Penevil]

On 8/6/2019 at 11:55 PM, Lanzalad said:

 

This s the 99 baht pork chop and chips... it does looks great for the 99 baht and it makes me wonder what the profit or if any what would it be..?

Be good to see @Evil Penevil do a food report on this place...

I did several reviews of the Chunky Monkey; the first one covered the pork chop special that cost 79 baht when the CM first opened in October last year (Under 300 Baht  And Good! post #25).  If the pic above is accurate, the 99-baht pork chop has gotten a bit bigger but lost the fried onions and applesauce.  Some pics from that review:

 

The problem was the food at the Chunky Monkey went down in quality quickly and the next meals I had there were included in the Under 300 baht and Mediocre thread. After a couple of less than good meals, albeit at cheap prices, I gave up on CM.

On 8/9/2019 at 11:34 AM, KWA said:

...  so how do the numbers I've given stack up?  Prices I can see in shops and I've cut them a bit for volume/trade pricing.  Quantities sold I don't know, but I've sat in Chunky Monkey and seen 10 meals sold in 10 minutes so extrapolate that and volume appears to be there.  It's mark up for overheads I don't know but %age wise, their model appears good.  They don't sell much drink and Robin appears to know what he's doing, so what am I missing?

I believe it's a question of terminology.  You are giving examples of the markup on the meals at the CM, i.e., the difference in the cost of the ingredients and the price at which the meals are sold.  That's not the same thing as the net profit (total revenue minus all costs of running the restaurant) on which the profit margin is based.  The markup can be relatively high, but the profit margin can still be razor-thin (or non existent) when all costs are taken in account.

The big factor for restaurants, bars and other businesses in Pattaya- and elsewhere, for that matter- is the rent.  If it's low enough, the business may be able to survive with a very low profit margin.  If the rent goes up, that will often wipe out the profit margin entirely.

On 8/7/2019 at 7:49 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

LOL, i watched a foodie prog the other night and they were preparing Camel would you believe, even the hump !!! I've eaten Croc in Thailand and Ostrich in Spain, bloody nice too.

In the 1980's in Saudi Arabia, I had roast camel stuffed with a roast sheep stuffed with chicken that were stuffed with eggs.  The pic is from the Internet and gives a general idea,

I didn't like it.  The camel meat was tough and gamey, the mutton and chicken were greasy.  

Evil

 

[KWA]

50 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

I believe it's a question of terminology.  You are giving examples of the markup on the meals at the CM, i.e., the difference in the cost of the ingredients and the price at which the meals are sold.  That's not the same thing as the net profit (total revenue minus all costs of running the restaurant) on which the profit margin is based.  The markup can be relatively high, but the profit margin can still be razor-thin (or non existent) when all costs are taken in account.

That's why I tried to also look at some of the costs of running the place and used the example of 10 dishes paying the salaries for a day.  farangme has rightly pointed out a lot more, and also the Thai human factor which you can't really put a price on.  Robin, if anyone, would know all this but still does it and must get something out of it other than just selling it on at a profit a few months later?

[fforest]

13 hours ago, KWA said:

That's why I tried to also look at some of the costs of running the place and used the example of 10 dishes paying the salaries for a day.  farangme has rightly pointed out a lot more, and also the Thai human factor which you can't really put a price on.  Robin, if anyone, would know all this but still does it and must get something out of it other than just selling it on at a profit a few months later?

CM went up for sale a whopping one month after it was opened.....I will say Robbin has a real talent for getting the punters in the door and getting out the back door with a profit....I bet the HH will be up for sale too...

[farangme]

17 hours ago, KWA said:

That's why I tried to also look at some of the costs of running the place and used the example of 10 dishes paying the salaries for a day.  farangme has rightly pointed out a lot more, and also the Thai human factor which you can't really put a price on.  Robin, if anyone, would know all this but still does it and must get something out of it other than just selling it on at a profit a few months later?

KWA, one of the cheapest places in Pattaya/Jomtein is Tequila sunrise. He's forever putting specials on at giveaway prices. His cashier told me it was done to attract an investor, rather than walk away and lose money.

There's plenty reasons for business owners to sell food at a giveaway price. It's a long, lonely journey back home on a flight, completely broke. Sell food at cost, profit on drink. Survive on other investments. The Pattaya lifestyle is addictive, nobody walks away easy.

[tommy dee]

On 8/9/2019 at 9:13 PM, farangme said:

The Thai factor. Staff messing up orders, unexpected bills and scams. Police extortion. Price of gas to cook. Condiments, sauces etc. Cost to transport goods. Maintaining and replacing abused equipment. It all adds up. For these 10 meals they need a washer up, a service and a cook and a cashier. Look at a UK restaurant, they are always understaffed because the staff can multi task and do a proper job. Not the same in Thailand. In one hand and out the other... guaranteed.

A good bar with girls can still do OK but these places, like your example will be gone and forgotten in the future, while the bars with nice girls are still there.

of course the 9 quid an hour minimum wage doesnt help does it.  I had a busy diner int he UK and the wages were the killer.  worked out around 10 quid an hour with employer NHS contributions.  so yes i woudl expect a real days work for that rate.

[dcfc2007]

4 hours ago, tommy dee said:

of course the 9 quid an hour minimum wage doesnt help does it.  I had a busy diner int he UK and the wages were the killer.  worked out around 10 quid an hour with employer NHS contributions.  so yes i woudl expect a real days work for that rate.

Wages rising faster in the UK as less and less positions are being filled by eastern europeans. Priti Patel announcing that new immigrants to the UK will have to earn at least 36k per year. Finally the tide is starting to turn in favour of the ordinary Brit.

😎

[Sir_Fondles]

1 minute ago, dcfc2007 said:

Wages rising faster in the UK as less and less positions are being filled by eastern europeans. Priti Patel announcing that new immigrants to the UK will have to earn at least 36k per year. Finally the tide is starting to turn in favour of the ordinary Brit.

😎

Does the ordinary brit want to work for min wage ?

[dcfc2007]

6 minutes ago, Sir_Fondles said:

Does the ordinary brit want to work for min wage ?

Some don't have a choice. Particularly in many Northern towns and cities were the only jobs are in retail and other low paying industries.

[galenkia]

16 minutes ago, Sir_Fondles said:

Does the ordinary brit want to work for min wage ?

Since the mass influx of Eastern European's many companies now only pay minimum wage as they have saturated the job market.So many people have no choice.

[dcfc2007]

2 hours ago, galenkia said:

Since the mass influx of Eastern European's many companies now only pay minimum wage as they have saturated the job market.So many people have no choice.

But I was told they were all doctors and scientists.

😂

I actually find most eastern Europe folk to be really decent people. But we aren't a wealthy country anymore and we can't afford to re-home half the developing world.

Edited August 12, 2019 by dcfc2007

[dcfc2007]

Devonshire lengkee offering 800b a night for a room as well as a breakfast and a daily special.

[Baldylocks]

2 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

Devonshire lengkee offering 800b a night for a room as well as a breakfast and a daily special.

Thats cheap, i have 2 mates stay there regularly. 

[Lanzalad]

2 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

Devonshire lengkee offering 800b a night for a room as well as a breakfast and a daily special.

lol I remember the Devonshire selling the rooms for 395 with a breakfast thrown in.. now that was over 10 years ago...

[dcfc2007]

40 minutes ago, Baldylocks said:

Thats cheap, i have 2 mates stay there regularly. 

 

24 minutes ago, Lanzalad said:

lol I remember the Devonshire selling the rooms for 395 with a breakfast thrown in.. now that was over 10 years ago...

24k baht per month that's a roof over your head and two meals. That's a very good option for brits who are struggling on a measly pension and crap exchange rates.