Robin Hood.

[SirL]

Perhaps worth mentioning that the Sportsman has a you-must-buy-a-drink policy as well, which adds to the price as compared to places which don't require that.  I think the Sportsman Sunday buffet is B425(?) + drink. It's often said to be the best of the restaurant Sunday roasts around Pattaya, but they do charge for it.

Whilst I accept the argument that drinks in girlie bars will/should cost more than 7-11 or cheap beer bars in order to pay for the entertainment happening in front of you, I don't see you're getting any extra value buying drinks in restaurants at marked-up price, so I usually don't.  We all drink lots in bars in the course of a Pattaya day anyway.  The owner of Retox recently wrote on FB that the Retoxs make no profit on food since the margin is so low, they only make money on drinks and the food offering there is provided just to support the drinking.  I avoid the high-margin item (drinks in restaurants) and buy into the low-margin specials and buffets.

[davidge]

54 minutes ago, SirL said:

Perhaps worth mentioning that the Sportsman has a you-must-buy-a-drink policy as well, which adds to the price as compared to places which don't require that.  I think the Sportsman Sunday buffet is B425(?) + drink. It's often said to be the best of the restaurant Sunday roasts around Pattaya, but they do charge for it.

Whilst I accept the argument that drinks in girlie bars will/should cost more than 7-11 or cheap beer bars in order to pay for the entertainment happening in front of you, I don't see you're getting any extra value buying drinks in restaurants at marked-up price, so I usually don't.  We all drink lots in bars in the course of a Pattaya day anyway.  The owner of Retox recently wrote on FB that the Retoxs make no profit on food since the margin is so low, they only make money on drinks and the food offering there is provided just to support the drinking.  I avoid the high-margin item (drinks in restaurants) and buy into the low-margin specials and buffets.

As I posted above, the website says 450 baht.

Nothing mentioned about drink - will water do? That’s all I drink at lunchtime. Not that I’m likely to go anyway  Been 3 times in new location, not carvery/buffet, and disappointed each time so I go elsewhere. It was ok, but only ok, and prices aren’t the cheapest.

[SirL]

47 minutes ago, davidge said:

As I posted above, the website says 450 baht.

Nothing mentioned about drink - will water do? That’s all I drink at lunchtime. Not that I’m likely to go anyway  Been 3 times in new location, not carvery/buffet, and disappointed each time so I go elsewhere. It was ok, but only ok, and prices aren’t the cheapest.

Fair enough, it looks like its B450.  Prices go up.  Sorry.

I've been to the Sportsman Friday Pizza and Pasta evening AYCE a few times recently, and there's a written sign next to the buffet clearly saying you have to have a drink with that meal.  The owner/manager came to my table and pointed it out (I hadn't actually noticed it before, but if that's the rules then I'll play by them since I want to behave).  I think I've read the Sunday roast AYCE has the same drink policy, but I haven't been to that recently so I can't be 100% certain.  A coke is B40, and that is sufficient, but I wouldn't have ordered it unless required to do so, so IMO that counts as part of the meal cost.  My guess would be that a water would be sufficient.

[SirL]

I've just remembered that the Robin Hood is on Eatigo, and from that you can get good discounts, eg 30% off any day for tables between 4pm and 5.15pm

which means the Monday 25% discount, if you were thinking of going at the start of the daily carvery just after 4pm, can be beaten, and those discounted rates apply all week.

So AYCE daily carvery [without soup, lamb or dessert] (which starts at 4pm) costs B279 less 30% = B195 between 4pm and 5.15pm every day (except Sunday) if table booked on Eatigo.  Good value, boys.

[udontony]

Hi Sirl.

Never heard of eatigo, how would I get a card from them and would that apply to people eating alone?

[KittenKong]

No card required: it's an app (and a website).

Yes, it works for singles.

[PBear66]

On 7/3/2018 at 13:05, SirL said:

Perhaps worth mentioning that the Sportsman has a you-must-buy-a-drink policy as well, which adds to the price as compared to places which don't require that.  I think the Sportsman Sunday buffet is B425(?) + drink. It's often said to be the best of the restaurant Sunday roasts around Pattaya, but they do charge for it.

Whilst I accept the argument that drinks in girlie bars will/should cost more than 7-11 or cheap beer bars in order to pay for the entertainment happening in front of you, I don't see you're getting any extra value buying drinks in restaurants at marked-up price, so I usually don't.  We all drink lots in bars in the course of a Pattaya day anyway.  The owner of Retox recently wrote on FB that the Retoxs make no profit on food since the margin is so low, they only make money on drinks and the food offering there is provided just to support the drinking.  I avoid the high-margin item (drinks in restaurants) and buy into the low-margin specials and buffets.

If all customers followed your logic we wouldn't have a restaurant left in Pattaya. Avoiding high margin items and buying low margin items isn't worth jack shit to a business.

No doubt you also specialise in finding the free food events and ordering 1 bottle of water to accompany your 3 plates of food.

Good luck and your choice but you would be in my restaurant or bar once only. 

[Patty Boy]

27 minutes ago, PBear66 said:

If all customers followed your logic we wouldn't have a restaurant left in Pattaya. Avoiding high margin items and buying low margin items isn't worth jack shit to a business.

No doubt you also specialise in finding the free food events and ordering 1 bottle of water to accompany your 3 plates of food.

Good luck and your choice but you would be in my restaurant or bar once only. 

If you think that 425 baht for a plate of food is a low value item then you don't know Pattaya very well. Also, the last time I had the carvery in the Sportsman (12 months ago) it was dire.

Tell me where it is and I'll make sure I never enter your bar/restaurant, sounds like a rip off joint! 

[PBear66]

I do know Pattaya pretty well and i don't own a bar/restaurant for exactly the reasons i have expressed.

I ain't a high roller either and watch my baht like everyone else, but i have had enough conversations with owners to know that this low season was worse than any other and they despise people who actively take advantage of free food at events or gatherings by ordering as cheap or as little drink to go with their free food.

Call me old fashion but its called not playing the game.   

[Patty Boy]

21 minutes ago, PBear66 said:

I do know Pattaya pretty well and i don't own a bar/restaurant for exactly the reasons i have expressed.

I ain't a high roller either and watch my baht like everyone else, but i have had enough conversations with owners to know that this low season was worse than any other and they despise people who actively take advantage of free food at events or gatherings by ordering as cheap or as little drink to go with their free food.

Call me old fashion but its called not playing the game.   

425 baht aint free!

[SirL]

48 minutes ago, PBear66 said:

its called not playing the game.   

Well I'm sorry I'm not "playing the game", but I think I'm perfectly entitled in a restaurant to choose exactly which items I want, without there being unwritten rules that I have to buy other stuff to pretty much just donate money to the restaurant owner.  In a restaurant I'll pick what I want, no more, and I'll pay my bin honestly, and if that's not enough for "your" restaurant then I certainly wouldn't want to visit more than the once.  Restaurants are not charities, so why should I feel any obligation to donate money for something I don't want? If the restaurant pricing isn't right, it's up to them to change it rather than for me to buy extra stuff I don't really want.

[Pheat]

1 hour ago, PBear66 said:

that this low season was worse than any other

Lol you obviously don’t know Pattaya that well.

Every low season is worse than any other according to most bar/ restaurant owners.

Only 3 months to go and this low season will be over.

[SirL]

34 minutes ago, Pheat said:

Every low season is worse than any other according to most bar/ restaurant owners.

I think there is a long term downwards trend in the number of farang visitors, and so it is pretty much true that every low season is in fact worse than the one before, which was worse than the one before that etc etc.

[PBear66]

 

46 minutes ago, Pheat said:

Lol you obviously don’t know Pattaya that well.

Every low season is worse than any other according to most bar/ restaurant owners.

Only 3 months to go and this low season will be over.

Yes, to be followed by a high season that is on the decline as well.

Thank you SirL  for agreeing with me. It's good to be acknowledged by someone who either lives in Pattaya, actually talks to business owners and walks round with their eyes open.  

[Pheat]

32 minutes ago, SirL said:

I think there is a long term downwards trend in the number of farang visitors, and so it is pretty much true that every low season is in fact worse than the one before, which was worse than the one before that etc etc.

So when were you last in Pattaya from April-October?

[SirL]

5 minutes ago, Pheat said:

So when were you last in Pattaya from April-October?

Do you disagree with what I wrote about low seasons?  Is it wrong?

[Pheat]

5 minutes ago, SirL said:

Do you disagree with what I wrote about low seasons?  Is it wrong?

So when was the last time you were personally in Pattaya April-Oct?

 

[SirL]

2 minutes ago, Pheat said:

So when was the last time you were personally in Pattaya April-Oct?

Why personalise this?  This isn't about me.  It's about whether each low season is lower than the one before.  Let's talk about facts to do with that.  Don't play the man, play the ball.

[Pheat]

6 minutes ago, SirL said:

Why personalise this?  This isn't about me.  It's about whether each low season is lower than the one before.  Let's talk about facts to do with that.  Don't play the man, play the ball.

So that means you have probably never been in Pattaya in low season

 Myself I have spent a good few months in Pattaya from April-Oct for the last 20 odd years.

I personally do not think this low season is any worse than the  last low season or the one before or the one before that.

Low season is always very quiet .

The decent restaurants and bars will do ok.

The shite ones will struggle as always.

 

The big difference is the high season does not last as long as it did and is not as busy.

Personally I would say the high season decline started about 11 years ago.

[SirL]

Do you agree there is a long term downwards trend in the number of farang mongering visitors, which would if true imply that every low season is a bit lower than the one before?

[Pheat]

Just now, SirL said:

Do you agree there is a long term downwards trend in the number of farang mongering visitors, which would if true imply that every low season is a bit lower than the one before?

No I would disagree.

[Syd Tybil]

I overheard the owner of Sportsman say that more than a few customers would not eat all day and then come in and eat plate after plate of food at the Friday pizza pasta buffet and then balk at having to buy a drink, fwiw.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[PBear66]

1 hour ago, Pheat said:

So when were you last in Pattaya from April-October?

I was there for 3 weeks in July.

 

28 minutes ago, Syd Tybil said:

I overheard the owner of Sportsman say that more than a few customers would not eat all day and then come in and eat plate after plate of food at the Friday pizza pasta buffet and then balk at having to buy a drink, fwiw.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 

Exactly. Exchange rate problems etc will be the reason for this. I spoke to one expat who said a lot of guys he knew where moving lower down the rental price scale as a result of the devaluation of sterling.

All this leads to guys having to make cheaper choices all round. Girls included.

You have agreed to high season being shorter and on the decline i fail to see why you cannot agree that the same is true of low season.

The word farang has been used, are chinese, indian and russian visitors on the increase. Do they spend as much?

I liked low season the ggs and lbs are keen to work and you can get to spend time with a few smashers out of the gogo's.

 

[Pheat]

2 minutes ago, PBear66 said:

I spoke to one expat who said a lot of guys he knew where moving lower down the rental price scale as a result of the devaluation of sterling.

It is not the cost of accommodation that is the issue.

Accommodation rental costs are dirt cheap in Pattaya.

Total over supply

 

I rent a house just off Third Road for 12K a month .

The exact same house next door was sold last year for 3.5 million Baht.  

The costs that hit the expats the most are the girls increased fees/food costs

Both of these have easily gone up by 30% in the last 2/3 years 

Condo/ house rentals are the same or less.

 

 

[PBear66]

Food costs are as cheap or expensive as you want. Street stalls, central festival food hall, daily specials even the two mango and sticky rice stalls near August Suites. 

Filling and reasonably healthy meal at 80 baht.

Beer 33cl available widely at 60 baht - 90 baht anytime of day.

To me its ggs/lbs, barfines, lady drinks and st prices. Long times don't really interest me anymore so at least that keeps the cost down.