reader

lets face it , plenty of English or Americans may have problems with English as well

Not sure why I didn't just Google it too 🤷‍♂️

Here is a post that's informative, along with all the other ones I saw.... so one of the unknowns is, how much longer left on the rental/lease contract....🤔

 
This is only relevant for tourist areas and a lot less for other areas.
Try asking for a receipt for the keymoney in a tourist area.
The landlord will laugh in your face.
Tax is what he wants to avoid hence the 3 year contracts and keymoney.
I know cases where the keymoney was the killer for the company after 3 years hard work. Be prepared to lose it all with only a 3 year contract.
If you get an extension and with the same condition, you found a good landlord. If not .. TiT.
Keymoney is an asset, one that gets smaller quickly with time. As such it is not worth anything to a business that wants to run longer than the rental contract. It is not an asset, it is a RISK!
If you work hard and get a lot of return customers, which normally is a growing asset (goodwill), it will be worth nothing with a short lease contract.
And i assume nobody wants to work hard and build a business and have the risk of losing it all because the landlord raises the keymoney to unpayable heights together with a large increase in the monthly rent.
When you don't have a long contract, wait until the landlord has some personal problems, like a gambling debt or some new business that needs money quick.
Don't let the landlords personal problems be your problems. Cover it in a contract and a long lease.
If the landlord wants to cover the risk of the tenant running away, a larger deposit is a much better way.
I'll give an example. Rent 10.000, 300.000 keymoney for a 3 year contract, 1 months rent in advance and 2 months deposit.
You will have to pay 300.000 + 10.000 + 20.000 = 330.000 at the start of the contract.
Instead offer 20.000 baht a month rent, no keymoney, 6 months rent in advance and 2 months deposit. Total at the start 180.000 baht. And try to go for a contract of at least 10 years. Then your hard work maybe pay off and you have some real assets to sell if you want to.
This way you have 150.000 available for starting the business and half year time to pay the next 6 months rent. A much easier start and everything in the books for tax purposes. If the landlord is not interested, why should you be in the keymoney and 3 year contract case. Offering this is a good solution in the middle.
I just suggest this because the OP wants to start a restaurant in a tourist spot, hardly comparable with a big mall or predominantly thai/thai business.

ALL premises on Soi 4 are on annual leases (payable to 'the family', and always have been.
'Key money' is paid once a year at New Year. It has nothing to do with lease, rent or additional 'side payments'.
Last year, PRIDE itself was offered for sale to include all floors including the 3rd (U.S.) floor which the present owner used for his financial businesses. He has now moved this to Park Silom.
Original ad, last year, later withdrawn:-
 (Strange because this link states " NOTE: Sale does not include Circus Bar and Restaurant. ")
Last year:-


BUT latest is this:-

Owning a bar in Thailand is a serious undertaking to be done by people familiar with Thai business practices in particular the licensing trade.
Many practices here can be an anathema to those brought up in more 'organised' societies'. You are not going to change them, it is their country!
When I first moved here 25+ years ago, I bought a book called something like 'Doing business in Thailand as a foreigner'. No idea if it is still published.
If you still want to go ahead, try chatting to owners of SUCESSFUL bars. Then approach. Cameron with serious enquiries rather than occasional visitors who think it would be a nice idea.
And finally, get a Thai manager familiar with the scene who you would trust with your life. (and a similar Thai lawyer.).

 

That would be significant concern. Both Patpong and Soi 4 are parallel to one another and share the same ownership. An offer the owner could not refuse is indeed a possible scenario given that the parcels represent a huge footprint in Bangkok's business district.

Recently spent three nights in BKK on my way to Cambodia. Here is a report:
 
Day 1
Arrived early in the morning. Immigration took about 30 minutes of standing in line, which was perfect timing as my bag literally appeared on the baggage belt, the moment I arrived to collect it. Next order of business was getting to Furama Silom. I opted for train and metro (blue line to Silom) and then a 15 min walk to the other end of Silom road. I wasn't in a hurry since my early check in was only available at 9 and after 10 hours sitting in economy class I enjoyed moving my limbs.
 
I also stayed in Furama Silom on my last (and first) trip to BKK a little over a year ago, but it wasn’t quite as nice as I remembered. The carpet on my floor (14) could really use a good cleaning or replacement and around the ac vent in my room were little spots of mold plus there was the remains of a dead bug in the kettle 😕
 
I was too tired to complain, but will definitely consider other options for my stay when I come back from Cambodia.
 
On my first trip to BKK, I learned that the perfect way for me to cure the aches and stiffness induced by a long flight is a two hour hot oil massage. So around 1030 or 11, I went to the same place expecting more or less the same thing as last time. It is a place that is considered soft and last time I went, the massage was excellent and the body to body extra was meh. So I had decided beforehand to turn down any offers of extras.
 
I was the first customer and it seemed only one masseur had shown up for work. He looked very young and a bit skinny (to be fair he was lean/athletic, but the baggy uniform made him seem smaller), so I was afraid I was going to be disappointed with the massage since last time it was a bulkier late 20’s masseur. I was not disappointed at all. Massage was even better than last time plus his hands and fingers kept getting closer and stay longer near my groin and every time he got a bit closer he asked “are you ok?”.
 
I was indeed ok, so when he had established that I was in the mood for extras he whisperingly offered a body to body massage for a minimum tip of 900. The flesh is weak, mine in particular, so a moaning “yes please” was the only answer I was capable of. Body to body massage turned into full on intercourse of different positions and intensities on the massage table and when we had both climaxed, I expected the session to be over. He hadn’t finished the massage, however, so he proceeded to finish the job. I was very impressed with that level of professionalism. I tipped him 2000. After extras he explained that he is not allowed to have sex with clients and asked me not to tell anyone, as he could get fired if anyone found out. To respect his request I am leaving out his name and the name of the place in this report. 
 
Since my last visit to Bangkok, I have kept in touch with two of the guys I met and I had let them know of my plans to visit and told them where I was going to stay.  One was available to meet me and we had already agreed that he would come after work on my second day for dinner, drinks and sleepover. He texted me on day 1 already and asked if he could come by as he would like to go to the pool. I agreed on the condition that there would be no sleepover, since I needed a good, long sleep to avoid jet lag. We went to the pool then across the street to Pullmann for a sundowner in the open air bar on one of the upper floors. We had a quick bite to eat and around 7 pm I was ready to go to bed alone.
 
Before turning in, I opened Grindr and soon got a message from a very cute young Indonesian guy looking for a quickie. I obliged, he came over and we had a very nice half hour session.
 
Went to sleep at 8, woke briefly a couple of times, but managed to sleep 12 hours. All in all a perfect first day and night in Bangkok. Need to catch a train to the cambodian border in a few hours, but hope to update on day 2 and 3 soon.

From Khaosod English
PATTAYA — A Thai woman’s life was saved by an American tourist who intervened just as she attempted to jump from a pedestrian bridge in Pattaya, while authorities and other citizens were trying to talk her down.
At 5:30 p.m. on January 11, the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Center in Pattaya received reports of a person attempting to jump from a pedestrian bridge near Soi Sukhumvit 53 in Pattaya, Banglamung District, Chonburi Province. Emergency responders and police quickly arrived at the scene.
At the location, they found Ms. W (alias), 23, crying hysterically while climbing over the bridge’s railing. She expressed her desire to end her life, causing distress to onlookers. Despite attempts by officials and good Samaritans to persuade her, she remained unresponsive to their pleas.
Joe, a 38-year-old American who was in the vicinity, made a split-second decision to lunge forward and pull the young woman back to safety on the bridge. He sustained minor injuries to his leg from hitting the concrete edge during the rescue.
“I noticed her standing there crying and feared she might be in danger,” Joe explained. “I tried talking to her and offering help, but she didn’t respond and continued crying. When I saw an opportunity, I acted quickly to bring her to safety.”
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/01/11/american-mans-quick-action-saves-woman-from-bridge-jump-in-pattaya/
 

That would be significant concern. Both Patpong and Soi 4 are parallel to one another and share the same ownership. An offer the owner could not refuse is indeed a possible scenario given that the parcels represent a huge footprint in Bangkok's business district.

smart people don't have it easy it seems

From Thailand News Agency
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has banned the sale of new OPPO and Realme smartphone models found to have pre-installed unauthorized loan applications.
The move follows complaints from consumers who discovered the “Fineasy” and “Happy Loan” apps embedded in their devices without their consent and with no option to uninstall them, according to Trairat Viriyasirikul, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of the NBTC.
Representatives from Possefy Group Company Limited, the importer and distributor of OPPO phones, and Protha Company Limited, the importer and distributor of Realme phones, were summoned to a meeting with the NBTC to address the issue.
The meeting also included representatives from the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) and the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC), and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, due to concerns over unauthorized access to personal data.
As an immediate measure, the NBTC has prohibited the sale of new OPPO and Realme phone models containing the loan apps, including devices scheduled for launch on January 14.
For existing users of older phone models, OPPO and Realme have requested up to one month to provide users with links to uninstall the apps. However, the PDPC deemed this timeframe too long and has requested both companies to present a revised timeline for corrective action by January 16. -819 (TNA)

This Bangkok Post account shed more light on details. Victim knew his attackers and they forced him to transfer cryptocurrency.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/2939397/turkish-man-tied-up-and-robbed-in-pattaya

From Khaosod English
PATTAYA — A Thai woman’s life was saved by an American tourist who intervened just as she attempted to jump from a pedestrian bridge in Pattaya, while authorities and other citizens were trying to talk her down.
At 5:30 p.m. on January 11, the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Center in Pattaya received reports of a person attempting to jump from a pedestrian bridge near Soi Sukhumvit 53 in Pattaya, Banglamung District, Chonburi Province. Emergency responders and police quickly arrived at the scene.
At the location, they found Ms. W (alias), 23, crying hysterically while climbing over the bridge’s railing. She expressed her desire to end her life, causing distress to onlookers. Despite attempts by officials and good Samaritans to persuade her, she remained unresponsive to their pleas.
Joe, a 38-year-old American who was in the vicinity, made a split-second decision to lunge forward and pull the young woman back to safety on the bridge. He sustained minor injuries to his leg from hitting the concrete edge during the rescue.
“I noticed her standing there crying and feared she might be in danger,” Joe explained. “I tried talking to her and offering help, but she didn’t respond and continued crying. When I saw an opportunity, I acted quickly to bring her to safety.”
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/01/11/american-mans-quick-action-saves-woman-from-bridge-jump-in-pattaya/
 

A few illogicalities in this report, or perhaps just sloppy reporting.
He not only wore handcuffs but his hands were also tied behind his back............
He was "locked in his room" by the suspects(doesn't that just mean that they closed the door?!) but escaped and made his way to the lobby despite his feet being tied together and his hands both handcuffed and tied behind his back.......

From Khaosod English
PATTAYA — A Thai woman’s life was saved by an American tourist who intervened just as she attempted to jump from a pedestrian bridge in Pattaya, while authorities and other citizens were trying to talk her down.
At 5:30 p.m. on January 11, the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Center in Pattaya received reports of a person attempting to jump from a pedestrian bridge near Soi Sukhumvit 53 in Pattaya, Banglamung District, Chonburi Province. Emergency responders and police quickly arrived at the scene.
At the location, they found Ms. W (alias), 23, crying hysterically while climbing over the bridge’s railing. She expressed her desire to end her life, causing distress to onlookers. Despite attempts by officials and good Samaritans to persuade her, she remained unresponsive to their pleas.
Joe, a 38-year-old American who was in the vicinity, made a split-second decision to lunge forward and pull the young woman back to safety on the bridge. He sustained minor injuries to his leg from hitting the concrete edge during the rescue.
“I noticed her standing there crying and feared she might be in danger,” Joe explained. “I tried talking to her and offering help, but she didn’t respond and continued crying. When I saw an opportunity, I acted quickly to bring her to safety.”
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/01/11/american-mans-quick-action-saves-woman-from-bridge-jump-in-pattaya/
 

China is very sensitive to any discussion about the Uyghurs, since they deny any issues, so I suspect  that they would take an interest. Although it may be a minor issue, the Chinese are known for their attention to detail!
 

In Bangkok, Myanmar guys speak good enough English. Laotian is closely related to Thai so people from Laos often understand Thai quite well after staying in Thailand for a short while. Incidentally some Myanmar guys are from the Shan states and their language is closely related to Thai as well. It is often referred to as Tai-Yai in Thailand.
I will let others speak about their experiences with Cambodian guys.

Judging by the rumors, the owner of Pride and Circus has no plans to open new venues.
The owner of Hotmale seems more interested in consolidating his interests in Moonlight and the beer bar on street level.

Reportedly owner’s other bar (Pride) is also on the market.

He said yes, but I still can't do it!

The land of Soi 4, along with Patpong Sois 1 and 2 is all owned by the Patpongpanich (Patpong) family.  They are the descendants of Mr Patpongpanich, who originally developed the former banana plantation into the nightlife area we all know and love today.
The Patpong family home is at the end of Soi 4, behind the metal gates, past Jupiter.  Occasionally at night, when Soi 4 is loaded with customers, an expensive car will make its way through the crowd, and the gate at the end of Soi 4 opens to let it inside their compound.  I think the last time I saw the car make its way through the crowded soi, it was a large BMW.   

I had a great experience at the Bangkok Christian Hospital a few years ago - if you can call a hospital visit great.
I was up all night, standing by the toilet trying to piss, but couldn't.
In the morning I walked to the hospital from the hotel and within 30 minutes was having my bladder drained. I think the cost was about 3000 baht, including 7 days medication.

Encouraging to hear another good report on emergency room treatment in Bangkok.
You're right in assuming that ER costs would be higher in US. There's a federal rule that requires hospitals that receive government Medicare aid to provide treatment to all comers (including non citizens), regardless of their ability to pay. In major metropolitan areas, the emergency medical response systems and ER's become the manner that those without insurance access the health care system. I believe national healthcare would be a far better solution but neither Democrat or Republican controlled governments have been able to extricate themselves from the grip of healthcare lobbyists.

Boys from countries that border Thailand seem more familiar with Thai. Others who been there a while usually pick it up.
Thai is among the world's tonal languages. This explanation from Babbel provides an overview.
While the many varieties of Chinese get the most coverage, there are lots of tonal languages out there. Other tonal languages include Thai, Igbo, Yòrúba, Punjabi, Zulu and Navajo. All told, there are over 1.5 billion people who speak a tonal language.
There are also a number of pitch-accent languages. These include Norwegian, Serbo-Croatian, Japanese, Filipino, Swedish and Ancient Greek. These languages generally have two tone distinctions, say a high and a low.
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/tonal-languages

From Pattaya News
A Turkish tourist in Pattaya was reportedly bound and robbed by three men who fled with his laptop and cryptocurrency.
At 3:36 AM on January 14th, Pattaya police received a report of a tourist being robbed. The incident occurred at a condominium in Soi Wat Boon Kanjanaram in Pattaya. Upon receiving the report, officers and The Pattaya News team rushed to the scene.
At the scene, the victim, an unidentified Turkish tourist, was found visibly shaken. The condominium’s security staff had already assisted him. The victim informed police that three unknown male suspects had abducted him, tied his hands behind his back, and bound his ankles before stealing his belongings, including a laptop and a significant amount of cryptocurrency.
Continues with photos
https://thepattayanews.com/2025/01/14/turkish-tourist-found-bound-and-robbed-of-cryptocurrency-in-pattaya-condo/

Who needs "community notes" when we have our own wonderful truth validators.
Bravo @colom-bien I love your courageous spirit to discover the truth.
Now that you have, please be sure to share your adventures with this hot Cambodian speciman with us envious forum readers 🤪😜🍆💦

La.
To think that sex was had with a “boy” and the only reason an image of a person appearing developmentally much like a boy was withheld, if indeed that of the WhatsApp profile, was lack of file-add technical expertise. I would hope for better discretion and consideration for the Board admin. Please, no follow-up entry of this lad’s photo.