Warning about Pattaya Beer Garden

[Big Yuley]

I go to PBG almost daily when im there either for breakfast, lunch or dinner

 

Never had a problem. I find it to have good food, good prices and a nice relaxing environment.

 

Great place to have a nice dinner at 7.00 - 7.30pm alone and build up the energy and then hit the go go bars hard

[murtle71]

when again on my last trip in December

 

as always loved the food and the service girls .....

 

great place to eat.....

 

cant get enough....

 

wish i had of hung out here on new years eve to see the fire works...

[daveywindsor]

Enjoyed reading all the posts on PBG and was very impressed by the owners response, obviously a good business man. Travelled the world extensively and been ripped off in many ways, it's a big learning curve but as we get older we become much wiser. My friend and I arrive in Pats April 10th for the first time! We will definitely give PBG a visit and hopefully leave with a good experience.

[Mantra]

i just got back home on monday after 26 days of fun, i spent a great deal of time sitting relaxing in this fine establishment, and enjoyed every minute of it, be back for more in about 5 months.

[Berko]

Its always better to try to fix a problem the moment it happens rather than reporting it later. A manager or someone had to be on duty to help you out. To me, its a beer garden, I order simple easy to make fast food and beer. Why order chicken? Get pizza or a hamburger, you in Pattaya to bang girls not to eat.

 

You were doing OK until that last part - which makes you sound like a complete twat!

[Spursman]

Great response from Pete!

 

I've always been a fan of the BKK BG and when PBG first opened, I followed Pete's blog avidly. I always thought he'd have no problems pulling in the freelancers like BKK BG does, especially in light of recent beach road crackdowns.

 

However, things haven't gone to plan, but like all succesful businessmen, Pete has hung in there and re-invented the venue. At the mo', punters don't go there to find freelancers but cheap food and drink prices, a great atmosphere & stunning views makes this a venue with a lot to offer. Of course, if he can pull in the hotties too, it would be a great one stop shop!

 

Well done Pete, not a lot of businesses in Thailand, Thai or farang managed, offer the guarantees or customer satisfaction you do and I hope your business continues to grow!

[lavista4u]

I liked the PBG for its location and nice cool breeze from the Ocean, other than that, well, the food is so-so. People need to support local thai own clubs and bars to get rid of these kind of problems.

 

This is their land, they have no where else to go, foreign owned bars have more choices and in it for fun and money, no other emotional attachment to the place.

[Cerberus]

foreign owned bars have more choices and in it for fun and money, no other emotional attachment to the place.

Before making such crass statements you should educate your self, Pete has lived here for more than 10 years and has a Thai family here. It is his main country of residence by choice and he is well respected by both Thais and Farang alike. He has contributed to Pattaya in many ways during his time here, on top of which he is a thoroughly nice, decent and honest businessman. I personally will continue to use his establishment, at least if there is a problem I know that should I bring it to his attention he will deal with it a professional manner.

 

It will be a sorry day when ex-pat businessmen such as him cease to be involved in Pattaya

[PUINSAI]

Hi Guys

 

I just got back from a lovely holiday in NZ. First time home in eight years. A nice place to visit but glad to be back. Flew in last night at 1 am and proceeded to check the boards and found this post. That's why I have not replied till now.

 

The first thing I must say is that the behavior described by the OP is totally unacceptable to me and if I can find who the culprit was they will be fired immediately. Many things annoy me but dishonesty is something I can't stand and all the staff knows that too.

 

The story as outlined by the OP does not give me enough info to identify the male waiter. Kalle did you note his name or can you tell me which section you were seated at. I've been in this morning but none of the staff knew of the incident. I'll be checking with the night staff tonight.

 

Sadly incidents like this are unavoidable in Thailand however you do not have to put up with it at the Beer Garden. There is always a duty manager working at the Beer Garden and they have strict instructions on how to deal with customer complaints. Our policy is so simple that everyone understands it. It is simply that the customer is always right. No ifs, no buts and no arguing. The duty managers know this policy well as I remind them all the time. They have just two options if a customer complains about something and that is to either put it right to the customer’s satisfaction or to refund any monies paid.

 

After reading Kalle's post I have decided to add a new clause to the customer service regime in the beer garden and that is as follows . . . if you bring a problem to the attention of the duty manager and they do not fix it to your complete satisfaction then I personally will refund double what you spent when the problem occurred. I'll be explaining this to the duty managers tonight.

 

We do around 10,000 meals a month and handle about 25,000 check bins each month. On the whole I am happy with the level of service and the few complaints we receive seem to be handled well by the managers. However with the amount of transactions and food involved I know we will get it wrong sometimes. While I strive to reduce the number of occasions it does go wrong I know this can not be reduced to zero. However the important thing to me is that if it does go wrong the complaint is handled well and the issue resolved to the customers satisfaction.

 

So I'd ask anyone having a problem at the Beer Garden to demand to speak with the duty manager. They all wear name badges which identify them as managers. If the problem is not sorted out and I'm not in the bar then email me the details or post it on any of the major Pattaya boards. My email is [email protected]. If you choose to post it on a board it is almost guaranteed to be brought to my attention. I will then make arrangements to refund double what you spent.

 

Kalle, I realize you did not ask to speak with the manager but I am happy to refund you 1,000 baht for your troubles. If you are still in Pattaya, PM me with a good time for you and I'll meet you at the bar with your refund. If you have left Pattaya I can either send it to you via Paypal if you have a Paypal account or bring a copy of this post with you next time you are in Pattaya and I'll sort you out.

 

Our guarantee to customers is printed at the back of every menu. I have just updated it with the new double refund policy. A copy is attached. Below.

 

Remember that good service can not be guaranteed 100% of the time in Pattaya but with the Pattaya Beer garden you can always do something about it if things go wrong. I appreciate people bringing problems to my attention so I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TOO.

 

Pete

 

 

Am going on my first trip to patts in less than 2 weeks. After reading Petes post Ill be sure to stop by for a few meals. This kind of service is hard to find even in the states. Looking forward to visiting your establishment Pete.

[whitty]

I usually hit the Beer Garden several times for lunch when I visit Pattaya. I have never had any problems. The smoothies are quite good . . Banana Pineapple is my favorite. The food is pretty good (some things better than others), but the staff has always been first rate. I usually get served by the female servers and they are fun. After a day or two they definitely know you and tend to joke around with you a lot (if you like flirting with them). I would encourage anyone to check it out . .

 

Stuff can happen in any venue but good ownership can overcome issues, the Beer Garden has good ownership.

[PUINSAI]

Just came back from my trip and had a couple of meals at Pattaya Beer Garden. Never had any problems with the staff or the food. The TG I was hanging out with also liked the place since it had Farang food for me and a Thai Menu for her.

[MAXOU64]

been there many times last september ; never had any problems with the staff ; very friendly people !

[pseasnain]

Did you really leave just a 20 baht tip? How much did the meal come to in total? I would never leave such a low tip (about 50 cent) for a meal for 2 people. I know it's Thailand and things are a lot cheaper but leaving just 20 baht is insulting to any employee. Maybe that's why they screwed you over. How much would you leave as a tip in your own country? 10-15% of the total cost I presume?

 

 

Hi all,

Thank you for your replies. I am on my second trip to Pattaya as I spent 3 weeks here last summer. This time I have been here for 1,5 months out of my 5 months total stay on this trip. I am sure that I am not very experienced in the ways of how things are in Pattaya and that I will probably experience more similar situations. But this was my first really bad experience and I probably reacted accordingly.

 

I admit that I should probably have requested to talk with the manager and can only blaim this mistake on the lack of experience in such matters. But I would also say that I am wondering why no manager were made aware of this situation by the staff as they just stood there as they were made of stone. There were 2 - 3 waiters standing around me at the time when I spoke with the male waiter and none made any attempt to get hold of any manager. Also on my way to the cashier where I followed the waither that I had given the 1000 baht note to did anyone seem to be thinking along those lines. There would have been plenty of time for the staff to contact a manager that could come and handle the situation if that was the standard routine.

 

Hedonist: Leaving a bin on the table when a waiter have checked it and confirmed that there were enough money in it, in addition to that there were probably at least 2 other waiters close by, and less guests than normal due to the music festival and all the stands on beach road, I hardly would call "Naive". In addition the daughter of my girlfriend has previously worked at the Beer Garden and my girlfriend is familiar with some of the waiters. But I guess with such a statement you were present at the time and would know how the situation was like when it all took place?

 

I am personally sorry to have experienced this as I have had so many wonderful times at Pattaya Beer Garden in the past. I have always been treated politely and the staff has always been smiling and friendly. I have brought friends of mine with me to Pattaya Beer Garden as I really thought this place to be one of the best that I had visitied so far in Pattaya. The food is great and the prices are low. Sitting in Beer Garden and relax with some beers or sit by the seaside for a relaxing dinner has been one of the things that I have missed when I was thinking about returning to Pattaya. That is probably also why this experience got to become so bad for me also. At a place where I have always have felt welcome and I would almost call a "Safe Haven" away from the jungle on walking street and surrounding soi's, the bad experience probably hit me even harder because of this. Any other place that I would not have had any former experience from I would probably have been more careful about the payment. But I guess since I had this feeling about Pattaya Beer Garden I thought about this place as "safe" and acted accordingly. But luckely it is never to late to learn from ones mistakes.

 

I agree that this experience was because of one person and not Pattaya Beer Garden itself or the rest of its staff. The rest of the staff should not be blaimed for this experience and I appologize if that was the conclusion you made from reading my first post. But a staff member is a representative of the establishment and therefore the establishment will be judged after the actions of the staff member. Luckely I have had wonderful experiences in the past from Pattaya Beer Garden and can say this with some level of certainty. But I can not say if anything has changed in the ownership or the management of the place and can only judge the place after each visit's experience. I really do not think that is up to the guest to demand the present of a manager as I would expect that a manager would be on the spot soon after this experience took place. This is exactly such matters a manager should be present and on the spot to handle in my oppinion.

 

I read that some have the oppinion that I should not have made this post about my bad experience, but I thought that was why we had such forums like Pattaya Addicts. To share the good and bad experiences so that other may take advantage of the advices regardless if you have spoken to a manager or just a waiter. The bad experience still took place even that no manager was present. And I feel that is more the responsibility of the staff to contact the manager is such events then me demanding to talk with one. I also agree that the situation could have been solved right there and then, but when there are 2-3 waiters around you that seems to be paralized I really do not have the patience to try to involve any more people as it seemed like anyone had a clue of what had taken place.

 

I also understand that I might have "stepped on some toes" as we all probably have different levels of relationships with Pattaya Beer Garden. I notice that the owner is one of the regulars on this board and since some probably know him and probably frequently visit Pattaya Beer Garden, they might feel offended by me writing this post. That is absolutely understandable and I would probably also have reacted differently and just contacted the owner if I knew who he is. But since I do not have such a close contact I decided to write this warning so that other members of this forum might be aware of the problem.

 

I am also sure that the owner as he is member of this board would have been on top of this situation if he was still in Thailand. But as I understand he is travelling and probably not even aware of this episode.

[Vessey]

Visted the PBG again several times on my last visit a couple of months ago,

 

Once again excellent service and excellent food every time.

 

A great place to go and eat with a friend (short time friend or long time friend), and also a great place just to go and chill with a cup of coffee during the day.

[marko456]

Always stopped in every trip ( 3 this year) good food, fair price, and my BG of the day always found some thing on the menu that she liked. Only comment from my BG ( avid food cart eater) was "too mutt" she was referring to price.

 

LOL I eat at a Thai restaurant here in Tampa florida and pay at least 4-5 times the price at the PBG .............Gotta love my Teelak, she goes to the wet market and for 100 baht we have dinner and breakfast

[flying_guitars]

I have walked past the PBG , millions of times on my way to WS..and have seen the commercial..." having a good time"..a million times but we have never visited PBG. I will say I liked the owner " Pete's" response to the OP ..he sounds like a true professional. I will be definitely going to PBG on my next visit in feb 2011.

[toomuch]

I was at the PBG last week, and thought it was excellent, and so did the pretty fussy (when it came to food) BG I was with.

 

I'd eaten at the expensive waterside places, and won't bother going back, but I will definitely return to the Beer Garden.

 

Thought it was good value for money, good food, and it is a great spot to sit.

 

Definitely recommended.

[cairns8]

One of my favourite places to spend a sunday afternoon.Sitting near the water watching the jetskis going by.One question i have is,i was sitting outside enjoying the day with some friends,i think it was late afternoon,and the waitress came around and collected all the check bins without been asked from all the tables,why??we felt like we were been asked to leave,and in actual fact we were all prepared to stay longer,but felt uncomfortable paid the bin and left..is this normal practice when shifts change??

[Photog88]

I like the place for sitting and having a drink, but every time I have ordered any food at the Pattaya Beer Garden it has been sub par.

 

While not completely practical at all times, it's worth paying with the exact amount to the person who handles the money, and making sure of their response.

 

I realize that this may not have helped in your situation, but this practice does minimize any problems.

[thalenoi]

Did you really leave just a 20 baht tip? How much did the meal come to in total? I would never leave such a low tip (about 50 cent) for a meal for 2 people. I know it's Thailand and things are a lot cheaper but leaving just 20 baht is insulting to any employee. Maybe that's why they screwed you over. How much would you leave as a tip in your own country? 10-15% of the total cost I presume?

 

20 baht tip is very usual for Thailand.

 

I once got invited by an hospital department manager inviting his 20ies nurse staff to a restuarant and he paid EACH of the waiters 20 baht with great respect from the staff....

 

I had food at the beer garden this week accompanied by a BG, nice sitting sea side, fresh breeze, service was good enough, food soso, maybe not lucky with our choice. huge som tam dish, but ordered tam Thai and not spicy because this farang, but was way too spicy even for a spicy eating BG other plates were not to write about, but you can not judge quality of food on just one meal.

 

Will be back next Pattaya visit, place well worth trying again, excellent situation right at beginning Walking Street.

[chris2004]

Did you really leave just a 20 baht tip? How much did the meal come to in total? I would never leave such a low tip (about 50 cent) for a meal for 2 people. I know it's Thailand and things are a lot cheaper but leaving just 20 baht is insulting to any employee. Maybe that's why they screwed you over. How much would you leave as a tip in your own country? 10-15% of the total cost I presume?

 

The average waiter earns 200 baht a day. A 20 baht tip from (each) customer represents 10% of his daily pay. In the west a waiter might earn $150 a day. Would he complain about a $15 tip?

[splitpin]

One of my favourite places to spend a sunday afternoon.Sitting near the water watching the jetskis going by.One question i have is,i was sitting outside enjoying the day with some friends,i think it was late afternoon,and the waitress came around and collected all the check bins without been asked from all the tables,why??we felt like we were been asked to leave,and in actual fact we were all prepared to stay longer,but felt uncomfortable paid the bin and left..is this normal practice when shifts change??

 

 

Its just the shift change, so the waitress's that have been on all day can share their tips, its no problem, you are certainly not being asked to leave, chill out.

[brewster]

The average waiter earns 200 baht a day. A 20 baht tip from (each) customer represents 10% of his daily pay. In the west a waiter might earn $150 a day. Would he complain about a $15 tip?

 

You know that for a fact do you?

[FIGO_0710]

maybe the guys 500bht blew into the sea its a windy place to sit some days,many times on my last trip the waitress had to put "ashtlay" on my head to stop the ole wig blowing off....

[cairns8]

Its just the shift change, so the waitress's that have been on all day can share their tips, its no problem, you are certainly not being asked to leave, chill out.

Ok,good for the waitress,but bad business for the beer garden,two other tables left as well,your checkbin gets cleared and it plants the seed to move on to a new bar or head off home