Before you open a restaurant in Sinville
- vladimir
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Before you open a restaurant in Sinville
From Facebook, by Michael Brown
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.
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.
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
Haha, I was actually just about to post that Vlad.
I'm not a negative person, I encourage people all the time...it's usually to f**k off! But, whatever.
- Phuket2006
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7. If i open a bar/restaurant, all my friends will eat an drink there
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
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From Facebook, Michael Brown wrote:
Please no crap about being wrong.
I have seen it all ...and am by nature a cynical person.
- Lucky Lucan
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Good stuff, but the title almost put me off reading it. Like why the fuck would anyone want to do that in the first place (unless they at least knew what they were doing) ?
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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Worst season in 10 years?
Maybe for some. Not for me.
Maybe for some. Not for me.
Last edited by LaudJohn on Sun Jul 17, 2016 8:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
Note to self: Must be nice to morons.
- Lucky Lucan
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Sure, but you obviously know what you are doing.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
- vladimir
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But 1 customer won't eat much, Richard.Phuket2006 wrote:7. If i open a bar/restaurant, all my friends will eat an drink there
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
8. Sell up to 500% of shares in the business to gullible fools; preferably ones based overseas, so they can't observe what is happening. Don't make a profit or, if you do, don't tell your partners. Sell the business and keep all the money yourself, but tell your partners that the business was seized, due to bankruptcy, and you and them have lost all money invested. Open another bar/restaurant/hotel and repeat the modus operandi. Happens all over SE Asia, including Sihanoukville.
9. You have no friends or girlfriend/wife but a pocket full of cash so think that buying/starting a bar/restaurant will fix the no friends, no wife problem.
My Three Mothers Tell Me I'm An Attention Whore.. I Love My Mums
I thought if you owned a business and you're front-of-house you'd at least say hello to a face you don't know instead of drinking with your cronies and ignoring them, even if they are backpackers?
What I found when I ran a business (not a restaurant) is that the majority of business owners have no clue about how to promote their business let alone run it. Most of the time YOU are the business.
It does not surprise me that some (most) businesses fail.
What I found when I ran a business (not a restaurant) is that the majority of business owners have no clue about how to promote their business let alone run it. Most of the time YOU are the business.
It does not surprise me that some (most) businesses fail.
pew, pew, pew, pew!
It's not just Sihanoukville. More than 50% of restaurants fail in the first year. I read a few years ago that the figure in Sydney was 90%.
TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
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- Jumped Up Little Oik
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Seeing as 27 new places have opened up that back street in the last 6 months, I expect you may be involved in nos.6 or and /or 8?LaudJohn wrote:Worst season in 10 years?
Maybe for some. Not for me.
I cut out of Otres after only 6 months because of the amount of people that wanted to settle there and make a business. Most think it is a quick way to get rich.
Long live the landlord!
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