Takeout orders and delivery can’t make up for business lost by banning dine-in service, Pattaya restaurateurs say.
With Pattaya eateries again forced to close their dining rooms, many have chosen to simply close down rather than keep the kitchen open for to-go orders.
Somchok, a restaurant operator on Soi Khopai, said most of his customers prefer to eat-in and that many of his menu items are not suitable for delivery. The taste changes, or the quality degrades after sitting too long, he said.
Delivery also isn’t economically palatable for either restaurant owners or diners. Multinational tech companies operating platforms like Foodpanda and Grab take exorbitant commissions – up to 42 percent – from operators, literally leaving them no profit in many cases.
On the other hand, cheaper platforms for restaurateurs, such as Lineman, are costly for customers, which sometimes cost more than the meal itself.
Somchok said customers don’t want to pay 50 baht to deliver a 40-baht bowl of noodles.
“Having no chairs is like death,” Thanawan Kulmongkol, president of the Thai Restaurant Association, was quoted as saying about the dine-in ban. He said, nationwide, deliveries account for only 10 percent of revenue.
The ban on alcohol in restaurants was already killing many restaurants, especially bars that converted to food service when pubs were closed in March. About 80 percent of such venues in Jomtien Beach, for example, have closed, observers said.
Somchok complained that the government has ignored the plight of small businesses, such as independent restaurants. While large companies enrolled in the Social Security system will qualify for 11 billion baht in new government aid, mom-and-pop eateries are left to struggle on their own, he said.
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