THE DRINKS PAGE

"LOCATION, LOCATION AND LOCATION!"

British actor Michael Caine's said it years back, when asked why he had bought an ugly old house on a hill. He just knocked it down and built another, worthy of the superb location!

This Golden Rule applies even more keenly to retail businesses, especially to bars and restaurants. Just ask the professionals at Golden Arches Restaurants, better known to you and me as McDonalds. Years ago I met a Dick, man whose job was to research new locations for friendly ole McDonalds in UK. Dick had a string of business cards carrying different business names, but in all cases his real name and real phone number. On one he was an electrical wholesaler, another he was in real estate, another he was a shoe repairer. "If anyone selling or leasing premises got wind of McDonalds, the numbers would leap sky high" said he.

And how did they choose a good site? Well, there's a whole rake of research. One comprises a team of people on the nearest road junction at peak periods, busily counting the passers-by and the directions in which they walk. "Traffic flow is very important" said Dick.

So when German Hans came to town, he chose a location as close as he could get to the maximum number of hotel rooms. That's why, slap dab in the middle of the Diamond Riverside and Pornping Tower pair to the east, and the Suriwongse, Royal Princess, Royal Lanna and Downtown Inn cluster to the west you get - Bunny Club, briefly mentioned here last month.

Hansi's mixture of location and good advertising (it has to be said!) achieved the Bunny Club's best week ever when the Cricket Sixes came to town last month. The Pornping Tower was cricket HQ and a team of big rollers breezed in from Bahrain, adopting the Club and everyone in it! Even wore their shirts on the pitch!! And world- class guest team member Rumesh Ratanayaka from Sri Lanka had his photo taken with all concerned!!! No surprise then that the Bunny is moving forwards in leaps and bounds with lots of new girls, top class air-con and a new frontage to enclose the pool table terrace. Stop by....

Other good locations which I see working well for their owners - Easy Diner and Da Stefano near Thapae Gate (despite being a little way down a very little soi!) and River Deli. Not so good? Well, someone told me The Escape had moved from it's former successful yet highly unlikely soi, hard to find and impossible to describe. It's moved alright - and I can't find it. Somebody, anybody, help!

It's from history so don't let anyone tell you different: Siam changed it's name to Thailand on June 24th 1939; Japanese forces moved into Thailand the same day they bombed Pearl Harbour; in 1941 the Thai army re-took parts of Laos and Cambodia lost to the French some 50 years before - and the French took them back as WW2 ended (source: Ajarn M.R. Rujaya Abhakorn).

BUT I DON’T GIVE A CLUCK!

Our big cricket tournament is selling the sport to Thai schools

David Hardy

MISS JUREEPORN. I'm 30 years old and would like to marry with a foreign gentleman 30-45 years old who has a good heart (...).

Chiangmai and the North

My Chiangmai

David Hardy

The Drinks Page

Night Fowl

Letters

Heart to Heart

DUTY FREE CITY?

A move to make Chiangmai and Phuket duty free shopping havens within just 3 months was announced at the recent tourism conference opened by the Prime Minister at the Chiangmai Plaza Hotel. (...).

MISS JUREEPORN. I'm 30 years old and would like to marry with a foreign gentleman 30-45 years old who has a good heart (...).

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