Like everywhere in Pattaya, bars and massage shops on Jomtien Beach’s Soi Welcome are in trouble due to continued closures and a lack of government support for operators and employees.
Nittaya Reungsiri, owner of the Richmond Sports Bar and Guesthouse, said she has exhausted her savings during the past year’s three coronavirus closures. Five employees have left Pattaya for the countryside. The few workers who remain are helping cook food for the bar’s 99-baht buffet.
The buffet opens for the group’s Biker Grove cyclists on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The money isn’t much, but it helps support workers. The bar also is accepting donations for Richmond’s ongoing food giveaways to unemployed workers in Pattaya.