Guess Bar Improvements

[Guest]

yes dave you was there with S

[daveduke007]

(mardhi @ Jan. 18 2007,18:03)

(bangkoksins @ Jan. 18 2007,22:40) If it was that busy normally they really would need to expand.

Loads of comments but no actual suggestions I see?

Let me ask some other questions then:

1) If it was not in such a crap building with loads of crap bars would it be busier?

2) Should a bar like this have a happy hour?

you get the gist........

OK I will be more direct in second guessing some answers based on what I know - its not definate but probably as close as an accurate answer as you will get.

1.  Does the bar need to expand?
Not at the moment - its only been open 8 weeks - capacity in the bar is comfortably for 12 guys to spread out + 8 sat at the bar and probably at a squeeze could actually get 50 people in there.   Maximum I have seen in there is 40 at any one time.

2.  Would it be busier in another location

depends upon how you define busier - the business is in the business of making money not providing a service.     With that thought firmly in mind, location is relative to the price your paying for rent.   Maybe if the bar had opened in Nana it would be busier, infact I am sure it would however the rents are probably 10X higher for the same space.    I would expect overall profit would be lower in Nana than where it is today even with fewer customers and thus putting pressure on expenses - ie bringing in copy spirits and filling real bottles with them.

Equally a large proportion of customers are interested in coming in picking a girl, having one drink and going up to the ST rooms.    They like the discretion of the current venue - these guys tend to return on a frequent basis.  For the most part they do not post but lurke on this and other forums due to shyness, married etc etc.
 

3. Does it need a happy hour.
I sincerely doubt it - its already the cheapest LB bar in the area and offers argueably a better product in everything except sheer numbers of LB's working.  

The flip side - would a happy hour grow the market?  I doubt it as the average bill s already relatively high - the bar does not attract price sensative patrons - i honestly dont think a 60b beer is suddenly going to get someone into the bar + considering its currently the only real afternoon/early evening option - if the guy has an itch, again he aint going to be too concerned at what it costs to scratch that itch.  

One thing that is probably worth considering is some kind of loyalty programme but thats not going to happen overnight.    

4. Decorating ST rooms.   Seems like a complete non starter to me - there are many times when multiple girls are upstairs with different guys - who would get the 'theme' room?   Equally whats to stop the guy making his own arrangements with the girl.    I know Jay has spent a fortune on outfits - she spent over 40,000 baht buying all the uniforms for the girls - again unlike other bars, she does not charge the girls for the uniform, however she is very mindfull that there are limitations as to what the police will permit in terms of clothing - just look at Nana and you will be very hard pressed to have any bar showing any tits - its a very difficult subject in Bangkok and a risk Jay is not prepared to take - I dont blame her as its her that would end up in the Jail not the girl or the customer.   Advertising a room being connected to a bar is also a big no no - Eden Club had to stop using their own ST rooms and switch to using an adjacent hotel for just this very reason.    

Cheers
Mardhi

 with everything you say Mardhi, Im not expert on the BKK scene but

1:-Expansion- It has been only been open 8 weeks, "look" before you "leap", its a new venture

2:- Location- Im sure a lot of ladyboy lovers are more than happy with this, IT IS more discreet

3:- Happy Hour- Why? Its cheaper than the Nana bars
You cant please everyone

I get told that the prices are 20 (14BAHT) pence per pint cheaper up the road from my pub.
This pub has NO football on tv (WE CAN GET EVERY PREMIERSHIP GAME), NO jukebox, NO pool table and NO atmosphere and Ive been told the Beers SHITE too ( Ok Stogie you had to Cop for a pint at the END of the Barrell in my pub didnt you )
So your gonna save £2 (140BAHT) if you sup 10 pints in a night
If they prefer to sit there all night looking at walls, good luck to them

4:- I cannot comment any further on that, you have said it all, and like I say I manage a bar in the UK not BKK

Just my two pennies worth

Dave...

[Guest]

(maybe someone needs to bring in a copy of Tom Cruise in Cocktail to give them some ideas LOL).



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v....search=

could help, the trailer makes the movie look kinda dark though!

[katoeylover]

I think the bar needs to run for at least 6 months before any changes are made. I like the concept, the location is ok, and its very relaxing.

[TTChang]

(mardhi @ Jan. 19 2007,02:03) 3. Does it need a happy hour.
i honestly dont think a 60b beer is suddenly going to get someone into the bar

Reminds me of the comment made to me by a doorman at KC3.  When I asked why no happy hour there, he said "you want beer 60 baht, you go Foodland" !!

My only other comment is that staff/owners from other bars in the Soi 1 complex are probably getting very envious of activity at Guess.  OK quiet at times, but as others have said, spending at the bar seems very painless for such pleasant & 'civilised' surroundings.  Keep up the good work, Jay & team

[bangkoksins]

Some cool replies. Like I have said I do welcome the Guess Bar it is a nice and refreshing bar to pick up LB's however I do wonder whether it will be able to keep the creme of the crop of LB's (the lookers) with so few customers.

The bar may well survive but do the LB's have sufficient earning potential to stay? If so then great.

I do wonder though how long it will be until competition pops up. Another 'nice' non gogo LB bar.

I have to completely disagree with Mardhi's comments about the short time room:

4. Decorating ST rooms.   Seems like a complete non starter to me - there are many times when multiple girls are upstairs with different guys - who would get the 'theme' room?

There are also many (most) times when there are not multiple guys with girls upstairs.

As to who woould get the theme room, it should be very apparent from this forum that the bar has many different types of clients. Those that want fantasies fulfilled, those that want the cheapest stuff available, those that are willing to pay that bit extra.

It would be possible to charge double for the theme room, and see how many takers there are. It is only a question of sales. For example If I were told there was a special room upstairs for 700 Baht and it was decorated with a, b, c, or d I would pay.

There should also be no problem with the law as the bar is unofficially renting the room from the hotel-thing upstairs.

If it is too popular and customers are lining up (doubt it) rent another room.

PS. I should add I never suggested expanding.

[PigDogg]

(bangkoksins @ Jan. 18 2007,18:20) I do wonder though how long it will be until competition pops up. Another 'nice' non gogo LB bar.

Think it will be a long, long time.............................

C&D's been around quite a while and no copycats in Phuket.

Pattaya has none unless u count Sally's in Jomtien.  But I think Sally's has an identity crisis of sorts, doesn't seem to know if it wants to be a ladyboy bar or biker bar.

[pheagler]

Guys, I really hate hearing that Guess needs improvements. From what I've read in the past and what I am reading now, WOW!!!! All I can guarantee is that My friend and I are planning to be there in about a week, and we plan to make Guest our home while there. We don't mean just to meet up there we plan to test the merchandise and the drinks over and over again. Maybe create inflation in that little corner of BKK. Like I said in an earlier post, if you are there and we recognize you, drinks on us.

See you there

Jack (pheagler)

P.S. Keep the place open whatever it takes.

[bangkoksins]

pheagler - It is not about to close. Do not worry.

All the hottest ladies, coolest drinks etc will be waiting for you.

I am sorry if I caused confusion, but Guess is not about to close. You can go in the afernoon and be personally serviced by the sexiest of LB's then go return a few hours later and do the same.

Remember guys many claim a ferrari is perfect but that does not stop discussion of how it can improve.

[kahuna]

Wandered in on Wednesday afternoon...and big spender that I am, bought all the ladies a drink...OK there were only 3 ladies there...but still felt like a big shot...More than a welcome change from an afternoon at Big Dogs breathing exhaust fumes and having to yell to have a conversation...

Back on Thursday evening with a friend from Cascades and others with non-Guess girls and all the ladies were welcomed like sisters...

When is the next big party night???

And contrary to rumor I did not fall asleep on the sofa...I gave up falling asleep years ago...Now I pass out and come to...

Stay the course Jay...

[stogie bear]

In there last night... wouldn't be anywhere else... but who is gonna be first to bitchslap that cunt of a bar tender... it may be me.

Even with 4 customers in the bar this annoying little cretin needed help pouring the orange juice!

Remove this tosser and the place is perfect.

[Guest]

all that he needs is to find a boyfriend to relax his brains.      

[mardhi]

(bangkoksins @ Jan. 19 2007,08:20) Some cool replies. Like I have said I do welcome the Guess Bar it is a nice and refreshing bar to pick up LB's however I do wonder whether it will be able to keep the creme of the crop of LB's (the lookers) with so few customers.

The bar may well survive but do the LB's have sufficient earning potential to stay? If so then great.

I do wonder though how long it will be until competition pops up. Another 'nice' non gogo LB bar.

I have to completely disagree with Mardhi's comments about the short time room:

4. Decorating ST rooms.   Seems like a complete non starter to me - there are many times when multiple girls are upstairs with different guys - who would get the 'theme' room?

There are also many (most) times when there are not multiple guys with girls upstairs.

As to who woould get the theme room, it should be very apparent from this forum that the bar has many different types of clients. Those that want fantasies fulfilled, those that want the cheapest stuff available, those that are willing to pay that bit extra.

It would be possible to charge double for the theme room, and see how many takers there are. It is only a question of sales. For example If I were told there was a special room upstairs for 700 Baht and it was decorated with a, b, c, or d I would pay.

There should also be no problem with the law as the bar is unofficially renting the room from the hotel-thing upstairs.

If it is too popular and customers are lining up (doubt it) rent another room.

PS. I should add I never suggested expanding.

On income - well I have no idea and frankly no desire to know what the girl earns when she is outside of the bar but I do know for a fact that the top earners in Guess Bar earn more 'take home' pay from the bar than a lot of the most popular stars in other LB bars - the reason the other bars have huge numbers of LB's on staff is that they are essentially self funding. To work in Nana, the girl has a quota of barfines and lady drinks - if they dont hit these quota's they get it cut out of their artificially higher salary. So for example, they may have to get say 10 barfines (which generates 8 * 600 baht = 5000 baht) and maybe 100 lady drinks (generating profit of 80 baht * 100 = 8,000 baht). If they achieve only 50% of those, then they get cut back their inflated salary by the relative same amount they have not achieved. So notionally a top earner should be and is achieving all of those - one girl in particularly springs to mind who took home about 7500 baht last month with full quota of lady drinks and barfines as they got cut for being late, fighting etc - flip that to Guess Bar where the girl does not pay anything to start - ie having to buy the over inflated Mamasan price for bikinis they have to wear and no minimum drink quotas are in place nor barfines and its easy to see that the average girl is actually earning more from Guess Bar than in Nana simply because they are not being cut so much. The basic salary is slightly lower but they get their drink commissions every day, get a share of barfine commission and share all the tips - that probably accounts for the fact that they have a very different approach in the bar - they share in the tips from every customer which means they get money every day to eat. That probably accounts for the fact that no salaried staff have left from the original girls that opened the bar with Jay - they have seen she is fair, open and does not cheat them. What she is not so good at is explaining how things work and selling it to new hires - many Thai's assume that the Nana salary because its quoted as a high amount is what they will get - however the reality is so much gets cut, that they rarely achieve it - Jay on the other hand quotes a lower salary but then actually gives them a lot more as she does not have quota's hence the style of the bar is very different - just from the salary alone the girls can pay for their room and LD commission/tips given daily ensure they can eat.

Concerning another bar opening up - that is something I have mentioned to Jay and she is the opinion that any non LB bar owner, specifically a lady would NEVER go there as they dont understand LB's and would shy away from it, same for most men. I actually think it would help her if someone DID open another LB bar in the complex as it would grow the market, however cost of entry to open a bar is high - I doubt many LB's have actually saved up any money and have the business sense she does (and even that is a bit off course at times). She has good relationships with the other bar owners but I dont see any of them wanting to copy her as she is in a very difficult to understand niche. Its also staggering to see how some people value their business - one or two other bars could be bought in that complex, however the owners seem to think its completely correct that the new owner has to pay for all the losses they have incurred since opening. I have heard her mention figures of like 500,000 baht, 700,000 baht to buy an existing bar that basically is a craphole and probably takes less than 1000 baht a day in revenue. Luckily she did not have that situation - she obtained her unit from the building owner - who wanted to kick out a tenant who was behind with the rent (although she did have to pay those 2 months rent that the previous tenant was behind on, it was nothing like the figures quoted above). Equally the building owner see's the complex is struggling - he wants busy bars with lots of customers so he can then put up the rent - he is very supportive of what Jay is doing as it provides foot traffic into the complex and more importantly for him has provided lots of volume into the Guesthouse he owns on the next floor.

Re: decorating the ST room - maybe a more workable idea is to have different bags of goodies/fantasies available to the guy - ie 5 bags on different themes - maybe something like nurse, bondage, etc and then the Guy can select the bag of goodies he wants the girl to take with him to the room - I could see that working but really can't see any return on the theme room - too many things could go wrong and too many people would be prone to 'grassing' her up to the authorities if they were so inclined.

Cheers
Mardhi

[Guest]

Well Mardhi everything you have articulated in your posts indicate to me you and Jay have done your homework, understand the industry and are prepared to step away from the current Nana model to secure a good business with a point of difference.

Two comments I would like to make is whilst the Nana LB bars continue with their pricing, dishonest salaries given to the girls they are actually playing into your hands. There are too many of us that enjoy a quite drink with a nice lB without being molested as you walk through the door and told you have to buy a drink, barfine plus cop attitude from a few.

The second point was something that crossed my mind weeks ago and that was some competition would help the complex and bring more overall business to both bars. Another LB bar would be great in the same complex.

I know it is early days and Jay does not want to over extend herself and grow the business too fast but she would be the logical choice to open another bar but maybe i am getting ahead of myself.

Anyway the rest of the information such as ST rooms themes, etc will not make or break the business.
The main points of customer satisfaction appear to be:
good quality LB's, relaxed ambience with no pressure to buy drinks or barfines, opening hours, location to Nana and local hotels and the availability of ST rooms.

Finally the way Jay has set up the wages and earnings for the girls really impress me as this is what makes the business successfully. If Nana did that then you would have some real competition. However, Nana's only selling point and one that seems to work for the majority of punters is the large amount of LB's they get in their bars. Choice and critical mass is a powerful marketing point.

Look forward to catching up in July. 07.

[rob69in]

(kahuna @ Jan. 19 2007,11:52) Wandered in on Wednesday afternoon...and big spender that I am, bought all the ladies a drink...OK there were only 3 ladies there...but still felt like a big shot...More than a welcome change from an afternoon at Big Dogs breathing exhaust fumes and having to yell to have a conversation...

Back on Thursday evening with a friend from Cascades and others with non-Guess girls and all the ladies were welcomed like sisters...

When is the next big party night???

And contrary to rumor I did not fall asleep on the sofa...I gave up falling asleep years ago...Now I pass out and come to...

Stay the course Jay...

You made it, sorry I missed you, but we will catch up on another visit. I see you are now already letting yourself get led astray in the Guess Bar.....