After 9 months of Guess - what would you do?

[mardhi]

Jays lease is due for renewal soon.     This has started thinking about what people feel about the location.    So what do you think guys?   Especially aimed at people who have been to the bar.      This is not about how good or bad Guess Bar is or its service, but where its located and its size.  

One thought might be to expand either in Sukhumvit Plaza or move to another location completely within the tourist belt of Bangkok.    

Feel free to share any ideas.    For what its worth, my suggestion to Jay is that she should stay (subject to not getting fleeced by the landlord) and consider expanding Guess Bar.   By making it bigger, she could retain the sofa area and Add a decent pool table.    By doing that, she could then look at adding more staff (bit difficult now as space limits the comfort factor if you have too many staff and she is currently at 18 girls.)

Cheers
Mardhi

[rxpharm]

Well, considering how well the bar is going I think (if the landlord is reasonable) expansion at the present site is a good idea. Right now it is in an easy to access area - near Skytrain and of course a major concentration of lb friendly hotels in the area.

Of course I am not biased in anyway to hope that her staff expansion may include one or two beautiful postops . It is a testimony to her hard work and vision that the bar is considering expansion after just 9 months (hey that is full term isn't it? ).

My continued best wishes to the success of Jay, the Guess Bar and of course the mysterious advisor!

[stogie bear]

Being the cautious guy I am I'd say that any changes would have to be taken as a last resort.

While I was reading this thread I was wondering how we ever did without The Guess Bar! If you have to move I guess it's back to Big Dogs for most of us as everyone I know or meet, live or stay or can commute easily to it's current location. Where it is now serves our needs perfectly at the moment.

I'd leave the expansion plans until you have been open for another year at least. If you have something that everyone is raving about then making changes makes no sense. Put the money in the bank and wait awhile.

(I suspect that the money is burning a hole in Jays pocket!)  

Oh... If you DO expand; please resist the temptation to have it as loud as the main area. Some of us old folk really find the noise and music a pain in the ass especially early evening. It would be nice to have a place that was for actually for us custommers for having a chat. Hasn't Jay ever wondered why many of us grab our beers and go outside the bar to drink them?

[Interested]

I would like to see it stay where it is.

[gizmo]

Please, please, keep it where it is!
Imagine having to explain, all over again
where guess bar is?
And having to print alllll those map's
all over again!

[katoeylover]

Expansion, maybe if you can get the next door bar.

Move - not yet. The present location fits the bill as all have said, close to Nana and the hotels, but far enough away to be different.

Size is good, but as i said if you can get the next door bar then I think this would suffice for a year or two more.

[Guest]

I like the current location although Jay pointed out to me on Wednesday evening the area where she would like to be situated on the junction of Soi 3 & Sukhumvit Rd & clearly that area is much closer to NEP & one would assume much more expensive.
In it's current concept one of it's massive advantages is it's intimacy and from my point of view the size is ideal although a bit of a squeeze on party nights perhaps.
I note that the bar area adjacent to Guess is vacant and an easy option would be to expand into that space and providing a pool table but I'm not so sure bigger would mean better or crucially more revenue.
For the time being I would suggest leave things be and perhaps find a marketing way of tempting some of those well healed North Asian or Singaporian LB lovers through the doors.

[stogie bear]

For the time being I would suggest leave things be and perhaps find a marketing way of tempting some of those well healed North Asian or Singaporian LB lovers through the doors.

Good post and your point about targeting the wealthy Asians is one I've been bleating about since day 1!

[Foggy]

The location is spot on as its nice to get away from the 'in your face' noise and hassle of the nana area some times, although not to far.
As for the expansion, I think its only good if you have the bar next door with a pool table and open it up so the views are good of the girls playing pool... but at the some time keeping the intimacy... good luck

[TopDog]

I guess I'm the exception but I think the location or more specifically the building it's in sucks. The first time I visited the Guess Bar I wasn't quite sure where it was located and walked by it several times, couldn't imagine from all the glowing reports that it was in such a dive. No complaints with the Guess bar or service but the building looks like it's a house of rejects and needs to be torn down. Then again I'm not the one paying the rent or lease.

[daveduke007]

(katoeylover @ Jul. 14 2007,19:15) Expansion, maybe if you can get the next door bar.

Move - not yet. The present location fits the bill as all have said, close to Nana and the hotels, but far enough away to be different.

Size is good, but as i said if you can get the next door bar then I think this would suffice for a year or two more.

I was thinking exactly the same thing

[katoeylover]

I think thats one of its good points, especially if you dont want to be seen.

Also i would expect its one reason why the drinks are cheaper because the rent isn't as high as it would be elsewhere.

[thegame925]

Stay at the current location!
If there is a need to expand, expand within the building (i.e. adjacent or across the corridor).
Forum readers still ask where it is despite the postings, the maps, the schematics, the pictures €“ so don€™t confuse potential clients by moving.
The big pluses for the location are the proximity to the Skytrain station and the LB friendly hotels, and most of all, the (usually) clean, reasonably priced, ST Rooms above the bar.
And those rooms not only assist the clients but the Bar must benefit by having the girls turn-round faster.
If Jay has to spend a little money, and provided advertising does not bring unwanted attention from either the authorities or the local mafia, then consider advertising in up-market magazines, in the upmarket equivalent of €œThis Week€, in the Asian Magazines, with a multi-language web-site etc, maybe even a seasonal, highly promoted Guess Bar Fashion Shows with proceeds going to a popular Charity.
A physical move will hurt not help the business at this stage of the Guess Bar€™s development.

[katoeylover]

[SukhumvitRoad]

Same same me, too.