You made the right decision, Mike. Life’s all about learning, and you’ll gain so much from actually going for it. It’s really nice to hear that people are stepping up to help and sharing advice—your followers sound super supportive. As long as it’s not a gray-area business, peopl…
ENI'm rooting for you, man. Let me push you a little. You've got good ideas and confidence, but you don't have food knowledge, so it's gonna be a bit tough, because you're relying on others for that. Problems will keep coming up, a lot of them, like worker issues where they won't do things the way you want. Sometimes you'll meet friends who push you into taking risks, like if you ask a buddy, "Hey, should I open a restaurant?" (the friend doesn't dare to risk it themselves, so they push you to go first), "Yeah, go for it, open it, I support you. We'll come by." That kind of thing happens. (This is my own experience, not about anyone else.) But your charm is that you're a smiley, cheerful, friendly person. That really helps attract customers. Food, taste, and price also matter a lot. For service, you have to tell every employee to smile as much as you do, that would be best. And train the waitstaff that if customers come in a group, they need to remember who ordered what, and when serving, bring the food to the right customer. You'll see when you go eat with friends and order food, the waitstaff serve the wrong dish, sometimes favor one side, then pass it to the person who ordered—some foreigners don't like that. (From my own experience working in a restaurant in New York, I see you're really determined. I want you to succeed. I see you love Thailand. If you can do it, your dad will be proud of you. For the chef, I want you to look for good people. Why don't you invite that Singaporean chef to join you? I think that'd be great, but I can't name him. I think that chef is a really nice guy. I'd love for him to work with you.)
ENI want to say that many times, both Thais and foreigners face the same problem: the land or rental house owner won't renew the lease because 1. The business or shop is successful and they want to run it themselves. 2. After the tenant renovates the space, it's easier to find new tenants and they can charge higher rent. When renting a place, you need to be strict about the contract. I once read an interview with a Thai woman who rented space to run a restaurant in Pattaya, built a Thai-style house, it was successful and sold well, but the landlord didn't renew the lease and started their own restaurant. That woman went bankrupt because the Thai house cost over 10 million baht, and under the lease terms it had to be left for the landowner—she hadn't even recouped her investment. If it's not your own property, don't spend a lot on decoration.
You should find a trustworthy Thai consultant who is knowledgeable about legal matters and how to prevent construction costs from spiraling out of control. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. ❤
ENI hope you stay determined and remain a lovely person. I believe Thai people will always support you. Post videos often, talk and give updates about the restaurant, different menus, and your life. Thai people love someone who's kind and respects others. Don't be afraid of anything, you're in the right place. If you believe Thailand is your home, you'll always survive and thrive. Don't be afraid. May God bless you ❤️ Amen.
Mike, I've been following you also. I would echo the sentiment that I want you to find a Thai person who's already own a restaurant and has operated one. You will encounter problems like workers being unreliable, food quality, and maintaining quality for people to come back. I wi…
I think the most important things for good restaurant is the taste and the quality of the food, the service, the hygiene, the good atmosphere and the good toilet. Just keep your restaurant interior simple with lots of trees and flowers. So don't overspend for interior design thou…
If the restaurant turns out okay your landlord will increase its rent after a year or so, so negotiate for flat-rate rents now. Not all foreign-owned restaurants are doing badly during this economic doldrums. Study Bartels. Your restaurant's in my neighbourhood, I'll make sure to…
ENOpportunity belongs to the brave. If you can't sell it in Thailand, there's no hope elsewhere. If the business goes well, you'll be comfortable. If it doesn't work out, just sell the lease.
ENOpening isn't as hard as what comes after opening. Finding good team members is tough—one day they're fine, then they disappear. If you find a good team, don't let them slip away. I'm keeping an eye on you.
concernedrestaurantPersonal storiesExpatsWhat to fix
For restaurant kitchen equipment such as freezers or ovens, there are now leasing options available instead of purchasing outright. I’d recommend looking into this model. If any equipment breaks down, they will immediately replace it with a new one, so there’s no need to wait for…
ENWatch out for contractors too, because in Thailand, many contractors take the money and then abandon the job. You really need to find someone trustworthy.
I like your attitude and manner exposed through your clips. The clean/green food concept is good and there should be more when good health has seriously become our priority. I’ve a small green vegetable (mostly salad vegetables & all local vegetables) and fruit farms in my homet…
ENIf you open a restaurant, Mike, I really want to be a part-time employee there. I've been following you from TikTok, I love your content so much—it feels like I'm practicing English. And most of your content is high quality. Sending you encouragement! If I get the chance, I'll definitely come support you!
When you just rent the place but don't own it, your big renovation cost a lot and took it quite risky. The landlord is smiling for that. But anyway เป็นกำลังใจให้คราบ Restaurant is quite a lot of work to do after place finish renovation.
ENWhen you just rent the place but don't own it, your big renovation cost a lot and took it quite risky. The landlord is smiling for that. But anyway sending you encouragement. Restaurant is quite a lot of work to do after place finish renovation.
ENI don't have any knowledge to help Mike, so I'll just send my support and wait to be a customer instead. That's probably the best thing I can do. I'm waiting.
Mike I am 100% sure u will do amazing, you currently have the most important asset that is community and audience, with your huge following your CAC must be really low, producing a lot of content you will be always bringing a lot of new clients to your restaurant, if you have an …
I wish you the best of luck and many successes as you open your very own restaurant. While you're working to complete the restaurant, I strongly suggest you also run a trial of the food selection—testing both taste and quality, as well as pricing. Doing so will help you make the …