Open small and cheap bar

Whether you're a working stiff or a business owner yourself, this is the place to discuss all aspects of financing your drinking habit ;-)

NO BUSINESS SALES HERE PLEASE, WE HAVE A SECTION FOR THAT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS.
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

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one_dolla wrote:If you want to open a restaurant in SHV ride/drive around and see which ones are busy .... that is the market to go for.... Plenty are busy.... but with locals and boom each weekend with holidaying Khmers as well... so if you can get into that market you have a chance...
The demographics of SHV have changed.
The backpackers and Caucasian tourists are all heading to the islands.
You need to target local tourists and Chinese.
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by mammothboy2 »

Alex22 ought to take a trip in his time machine to the all-but-forgotten days when Victory Hill in SHV had hippy/ganja bar/restaurants
where the raucous hooker places are now - with patrons smoking enormous Bob Marley joints without shame or fear - (with a little easy-to-cook food on the side)

It's probably that he had exactly THAT sort of bar/restaurant in mind but - alas - those days have gone
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

one_dolla wrote:
frank lee bent wrote:from FB
you will need to join to read it
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sihanou ... 561693868/

An open letter to potential restaurant owners,
We are experiencing the worst low season in 10 years. As I have been here for 15 years, I think I am qualified to make a few comments about Sihanoukville.
I own Snooky’s Garden Bar and Restaurant and have 14 rooms that I rent out. Snooky’s occupies a back street location downtown. I am amazed at the number of restaurants that have recently opened. Within 100 meters there are now 53 restaurants of which 27 have opened up within the last 6 months. Now being established for so long I have developed a good name and reputation and a loyal expat clientele. I am not complaining about the competition as I still have a good trade although smaller turnover (not enough people around) but I also have difficulty in attracting staff which is a constant problem as every restaurant whether busy or not will require staff. This means that I am suffering badly and will probably relinquish my lease next year.
I am amazed that people are still opening restaurants in this climate and can think of only a handful of restaurants that actually earn money (I have been here and in business long enough to see through the sh*t about good potential etc etc. Anyway I compiled a list as to the reasons why people open bars and restaurants. Please no crap about being wrong I have seen it all and am by nature a cynical person.
Reason 1. It gives my girlfriend something to do. I am amazed that men think that out of a population that is mostly illiterate and totally unaware of any kind of business acumen that they think their girlfriend in different. A very quick way to loose money.
Reason 2. I can eat and drink free. Wrong. You still have to pay rent, wages, electricity and stock. When you are sitting at the front of your bar or restaurant waiting for friends or customers to come in it can be a long and lonely existence. After a few months most go and eat and drink at another bar before giving up the bar entirely as their money runs out.
Reason 3. I want to make money. A very good reason to open a business. In fact the only legitimate one.
Ok, now you’re in the realms of paying for an upgrade to the restaurant. Nice tables and chairs, good decoration, nice glasses, a good selection of wines, spirits and beer. Add to that good staff (usually paid above the going rate) and hay presto you have a nice business but NO CUSTOMERS. Now if you do not have a large bank account in the old country you quickly run out of money and therefore service goes down, your staff problems multiply and the labour police want to make your life difficult.
Reason 4. I am a business man with a large bank account and want to open a large hotel and run it as though it would be run in the old country. GREAT. You can do but NOT YET !!!. Remember NO CUSTOMERS. A long wait is on the cards. Things will come right I am sure but not yet. Only last month I was talking to a hotelier who had 37 staff and 2 customers. Is she losing money? You bet she is big time but luckily she has enough money to ride out the next 3 years when more customers will come.
Reason 5. I like this one. I want to contemplate my navel while running a business. The odd bit of Ganga on the beach and an ability to do as little work as necessary just to keep going. Wrong. The days of the back packers are gone and will never return. Wait till the immigration come after your work permit and the labour police come knocking asking about staff contracts. Good bye. Hope you had a nice time while it was available.
Reason 6. I want to open a business so I can sell it on to a gullible person and make a huge profit. I do know several people who have done this and it has made them enough money to bank role them while living in Sihanoukville. Oh yes, I exaggerate, a small profit. Just think of the lies you have to tell when telling people the business is highly profitable and has a lot of potential.

Already out of date! another new Khmer restaurant is opening in same area today and another should be open in a month.

If you want to open a restaurant in SHV ride/drive around and see which ones are busy .... that is the market to go for.... Plenty are busy.... but with locals and boom each weekend with holidaying Khmers as well... so if you can get into that market you have a chance...
yep agree, the cambodian market is one of the main markets in SHV, then maybe Chinese, Expat/Backpacker are pretty low down the list, a lot of expats will eat at home (espesh if they have a gf/wife who cooks) and backpackers are tight cunts, the only restaurant round the serendipity area that i see regularly busy is probably Olive & Olive, maybe due to the fact they do a very large $5 pizza (and it is large as well...see below)
Image
you go past khmer beer garden/restaurants, most are always busy
:tophat: Mean Dtuk Mean Trei, Mean Loy Mean Srey
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

Username Taken wrote:
one_dolla wrote:If you want to open a restaurant in SHV ride/drive around and see which ones are busy .... that is the market to go for.... Plenty are busy.... but with locals and boom each weekend with holidaying Khmers as well... so if you can get into that market you have a chance...
The demographics of SHV have changed.
The backpackers and Caucasian tourists are all heading to the islands.
You need to target local tourists and Chinese.
didnt see your comment when i posted, agree totally, all the restaurants round the serendipity area are always dead, i guess why so many seem to be going up for sale
:tophat: Mean Dtuk Mean Trei, Mean Loy Mean Srey
Punchy McShortstacks School of Hard Knocks :x
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by CJM555 »

[quote="Jamie_Lambo"][quote="one_dolla"][quote="frank lee bent"]from FB
you will need to join to read it

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sihanou ... 561693868/
That foto looks photo shopped.
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

CJM555 wrote:
Jamie_Lambo wrote:
one_dolla wrote:
frank lee bent wrote:from FB
you will need to join to read it

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sihanou ... 561693868/
That foto looks photo shopped.

have you ever had a pizza at Olive & Olive?
one thing i never do is lie nor bullshit
Image
Image
:tophat: Mean Dtuk Mean Trei, Mean Loy Mean Srey
Punchy McShortstacks School of Hard Knocks :x
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by CJM555 »

Jamie_Lambo wrote:
CJM555 wrote:
Jamie_Lambo wrote:
one_dolla wrote:
frank lee bent wrote:from FB
you will need to join to read it

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sihanou ... 561693868/
That foto looks photo shopped.

have you ever had a pizza at Olive & Olive?
one thing i never do is lie nor bullshit
Image
Image
Alright Rambo, cool yer jets son. Nobody called you a liar but the 'pizza hand' in the foto looks like a kids hand.
No, never heard of the pizza place.
A $5 buck pizza here or anywhere is gonna be shit, that's a fact.
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by CJM555 »

frank lee bent wrote:ask the hundreds that go broke doing this annually.
anywhere outside Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kampot, and Siem Reap you may stand a chance IF there are enough Francophone NGO's there.
these 4 places are COMPLETELY OVERSERVICED in this sector!
I would try Battambang, maybe Steung Treng.
Myanmar possibly has some good opportunities if you can build a bamboo shack - local real estate is expensive for rents- but renovation of a derelict place is possible on a budget.
Very much agree with this advice to the OP but never give up on your vision, people make businesses not the other way round.
1-2% economics are rarely an issue but commercial trust is the issue.
In Chroy Changvar there is a thriving restaurant business at $4-5 dollar level and absolutely nothing wrong with that but it's the consistent quality of food and service Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday which makes the difference.
Don't try and reinvent the wheel, just be consistent.
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

CJM555 wrote:
Jamie_Lambo wrote:
CJM555 wrote:
Jamie_Lambo wrote:
one_dolla wrote:

have you ever had a pizza at Olive & Olive?
one thing i never do is lie nor bullshit
Image
Image
Alright Rambo, cool yer jets son. Nobody called you a liar but the 'pizza hand' in the foto looks like a kids hand.
No, never heard of the pizza place.
A $5 buck pizza here or anywhere is gonna be shit, that's a fact.
haha im cool i should have probably put a LOL in there somewhere :thumb:

again though Olive & Olive is one of the best restaurants in Sihanoukville has a great reputation, and the $5 pizza is the "special" they have on the board outside every night, in the menu the pizzas are around $7-10 i think depending on topping

Olive & Olive ranked #8 out of 239 restaurants in sihanoukville.... https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... vince.html
:tophat: Mean Dtuk Mean Trei, Mean Loy Mean Srey
Punchy McShortstacks School of Hard Knocks :x
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Re: Open small and cheap bar

Post by rozzieoz »

The $5 pizza is awesome :)


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