With the many problems I’ve had to deal with since we got started in May I was curious how New Years Eve would go. I actually figured we would not be overly busy as we were not doing a special party, just business as usual. Wrong again!
It seems that everyone decided to view the midnight fireworks from the Pattaya Beer Garden. By 9 pm we were full and people started using the Somtum station and the washing up station as standing bars. They just kept on coming and by 10 o’clock I decided we could not handle any more people, so I put up a sign saying the Beer Garden is full. That made not one bit of difference as people ignored it and continued to pour in.
My next move was to put the sign right in the middle of the entranceway so it could not be ignored. Forget it! People just knocked it over as they continued to flood in. Finally, about 10:30 I closed the gate and stood there like a policeman saying you can’t come in. Some people got quite upset as they had obviously planned there evening but as I tried to explain it was getting to a point where I felt it would be dangerous to let anyone else in.
I took quite a bit of abuse at the door that night but as you can imagine, I felt somewhat vindicated by subsequent events at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok. By midnight Santika was overly full and when a tragic fire broke out just after midnight 60 people could not escape and were killed. We could have squeezed more people in and no doubt made more money but I think we did the right thing by putting safety first. I do apologize to anyone who planned to come that night and could not get in.
Following New Years week things at last settled down and for really the first time since we opened customer numbers have dropped back a bit. Strangely I am actually pleased with this as the numbers are now totally manageable and I think we have been coping much better and providing a better customer experience. In the last week I don’t think any meal has taken more than twenty minutes to be delivered and we have been averaging around 10 minutes.
There have been two recent comments on the blog which I’d like to highlight and answer.
Firstly the Pattaya Ghost writes
“Hi Pete, as you know, I’ve been a fan, but I’ve decided, after two recent visits (one in the daytime Jan. 1) where I’ve had to wait 40 minutes or more for our food I’m not coming back until the service is faster. I like the place, the view and the food is generally good and a good value, but none of that offsets the perpetual delays. I’ve given it lots of chances and the situation simply doesn’t improve.
I’ll be watching here to see when you say the probelm is fixed and I’ll give it one last try.”
Secondly from Cameron McCown
“I had been waiting patiently to get to Pattaya since the start of this web page. I have enjoyed reading your weekly (at first) then monthly entries on this amazing restaurant. After more that 20 years in the business (stateside) it was more than interesting to read about your adventure. As a former restuarantuer I was drooling at the opportunity your had created there. What a dream come true for anyone with the moxy to pull it off. Congrats by the way.
I was in Pattaya from Nov 25th through Dec 10th of this last year and made it to PBG more than a few times. Yes I saw your growing pains first hand. My third time around I sat at the end of the bar where I could get a better look at the kitchen area. I do not remember the date but that night the restaurant was rockin’. It might have been the King’s Birthday I just cannot recall to be 100% sure.You are correct about the timing of hardly anyone there when we arrived and within 30 minutes of our arrival the place was pretty much full or at least reaching that point. Basically you need crowd control on busy or potentially busy nights.
I remember my first time walking in. It was for breakfast and was able to just seat myself. I was a bit surprised but then looking around it was a pretty calm morning and I remember reading that breakfasts are not that busy anyway. This may work during the slow times but I would recomend having some sort of seating control during your busy times. Slow down the rate of seatings by directing folks to your bar area. Seat folks in a timely rational manner. Rope off the seating area and have your greeters or servers seat the guests evenly throughout the restaurant. This serves 2 perposes. It keeps your servers from getting slammed. And keeps the ticket machin from rolling off it’s rollers in the kitchen.
On a night like that there will be little you can do other than stem the tide. It will slow down the tickets coming into the kitchen maybe just enough so that your expeditor can direct the mayhem that is coming your way. It will also up your bar business quite nicely.
Bottom line is you are in a choice location with a great view and a huge menu. Seat your patrons as your kitchen can handle them and your customers will be happier in the end. Sounds seasier said than done and it truly is. Just stem the flow and keep all the tickets from arriving at the same time. That is the goal. “
I quoted Cameron because he neatly summed up the issue. I don’t think we will ever do seating control because for me it would ruin the casual nature of the bar and anyway quite a few people like to sit at the tables just to drink. As I said above we have settled into far more manageable numbers, and have been coping rather well. We are still mostly full in the evening but the flow seems much better without the huge rush around 7 pm. Maybe it has sort of self regulated itself. Thanks for your well thought out post Cameron. Anyone else have a comment on Cameron’s idea.
This brings me to the Pattaya Ghost. I do appreciate your point of view Ghost. I’d say the problem is fixed NOW but I can’t guarantee it. We really are coping just fine at the moments with very acceptable wait times but if 50 or 100 diners arrive all at once as they have in the past we will struggle again. I’d say you are 90% safe to assume service will be quick and that’s about the best I can do. Remember though that if it’s going to take more than twenty minutes we will warn you BEFORE you order.
Well as you can imagine from all the above the staff really worked bloody hard over the busy Christmas period. Everybody worked right through the two week period without a day off and they really did an amazing job. As they all missed out on a Christmas or New Years party we threw a special celebration just for them on 6 January. Everybody received a Christmas Bonus present by pulling a number out of a hat and the gifts ranged from stuffed toys to rice cookers and even a TV. A good night was had by all and I must say I think we have put together a really great group.
With the madness of the holiday season I had no time to take any photos but I’ll include a few here from the staff party.
Next week a new bar in the beer garden and a special promotion for freelancers.
Pete
This thing has 7 Comments
Hiya Pete,
I think Cameron was on to something. But I see your point of view. It strike me perhaps you could section off the bar with tables for dining and tables for drinking and snacks. That way you could reduce the number of diners to allow the kitchen to keep pace and still keep a casual experience. When entering, a hostess simply asks if you’re there to eat lunch/dinner or just drink. (Restaurant or bar?)
Drop me an e-mail and let me know when you’re usually in and I’ll make another visit to eat. The wind seems to have died down a bit now!
I admit being one of those people that don’t like to be seated. Perhaps it’s a symptom of entering Pattaya gogos and being pointed to an area I don’t like, as I just ignore them and look for the place I want to sit. I’m aware your beer garden is not a gogo bar, but my general distaste for being told where to sit remains. I like to walk in, look around, and sit wherever looks best for me.
If people see empty tables but are told they can’t sit down, you’ll have more to worry about than delayed meals. Especially if the practice occurs when it’s not necessary. As we know, when you make something a policy, Thai people tend to be fairly rigid enforcing it with no scope for what we might call common sense.
Better to keep the customer as king and work around them. Right now people are only inconvenienced on the odd occasion rather than being inconvenienced all the time. And there’s the concern that people could take allocated seating as more than an inconvenience; it could also be construed as an insult, which is far more damaging than inconvenience.
I think a good compromise would be to feed them a free entree. Perhaps it might sound counter productive given the kitchen is already overloaded, but a big pot of spring rolls is not going to cause further delay. Some sweet chilli sauce would sweeten the deal. You’d also be more likely to retain a customer informed of a 30 minute delay if the service staff can tell them about the delay, but offer a complimentary snack whilst they wait. Something small enough not to spoil the palate, but sufficient to take away the hunger pangs - which are the main cause of their irritability. Everyone wants to be polite and understanding but it aint easy when your hungry. So feed them. And it would be cheaper than handing out free bottles of red.
Hey,I did not see Su, your day-time server in any of the staff pictures, I hope she is still around, what a sweet lady.
I hope to see her at PBG when I return next month.
Keep the good times rolling Pete.
Here is a pic just for you Russ
Would it help to include some of the large empty space adjacent to the Siren bar complex?
It will anyway be needed in the not to distant future.
What a nice gesture to have a surprise santa gift party for your hard working staff, great pics
I, too, agree that is was a nice and well deserved gesture to have a special party and celebration for your staff.
I was there during New Year’s eve and considering the overwhelming number of patrons, I think your people did an exemplary job, patiently serving the masses and politely dealing with the few irritable grouches that were complaining about the understandably slower than normal service. Kudos!