Originally Posted by
Seekingasylum
I foretold this over a year ago.
The single greatest factor in this commercial denouement affecting the British pub style outlets is of course the Brexit devaluation of £ that has seen purchasing power reduced by 25% since 2015 when it was happily buying 54 baht but now 39 is the score on the exit door.
But in truth, the entire Euro demographic took a hit in 2008 when the bankster crash pretty well fucked most folk.
Fashions change but with the £ crash Thailand is simply not the bargain it was but the most discernible change in pattern is the absence of young folk - from the air headed backpackers to the lower end blue collar oik on his shagfest whoremongering two week binge, the young Brits have eschewed Thailand in their droves. In Euro terms, it is now solely patronised by grunters.
But it is not just Pattaya and God's Terminal Dementia Ward, Hua Hin, witnessing this, Bangkok's Nana/Patpong and Soi Cowboy are similarly populated these days by a class of punter who will never see 55 again. I was up around Robin Hood/Fitzgeralds/ Royal Oak/ Herrity's recently and the vibe was pretty much the same - happy hour clientele were grunters after which they became two-thirds empty. The places that attracted a more cosmopolitan crowd from all over the world all featured a broad spectrum of ages and were full at any time.
Retox was always destined for failure, serving a menu lifted straight out of the greasy spoon transport cafe playbook that was the mainstay of the lower class ageing blue collar oiks who are, quite literally, dying off without any replacement. And if the exchange rate was not enough, the recent withdrawal of income letters by the Brit embassy meant that a lump sum deposit of £25,000 + held for a minimum period of six months was the only route to residence and that has forced an estimated 20% of Brits in Pattaya alone to fuck off back to Blighty.
Certainly, if the wingman pranged herself or found another Sqdn. Leader, I'd be offski back to Europe quicker than the shake of a lamb's tail held by an epileptic Taff having an orgasm.
The thing is, once the grunters are gone, there is no-one else from the Brit demographic other than the working expats who remain and the two-weeker island/bkk/chiang mai mass market folk.