Help Save the Restaurant

May 05, 2023 at 11:04 am

HUGE NEWS!

I've secured a new spot nearby (a 5 minute drive from our current location) and the rent is 87.5% cheaper than our current location.

The upside:

• Rent is much more manageable
• On the main road
• Walk-in traffic
• Street traffic
• Much larger location with a much larger bar and seating area and with an open kitchen.
• Rooms upstairs can eventually be turned into a hostel, but can be used as staff housing for now.

The downside:

• It needs to be fully furnished
• We need to buy all the kitchen and bar equipment
  • Refrigerators
  • Freezers
  • Stoves
  • Oven
  • Work Stations
  • A bar top
  • Tables & Chairs
  • Light Fixtures
  • Decor

Instead of asking for random cash, I'm asking for specific amounts.

We need:

1. 2 Refrigerators with Work Stations on top: $765 total ($383 each)
2. A 4 burner stove: $504
3. 3 work stations: $160 total ($53 each)
4. Pots for cooking: $100
5. Tables & Chairs: $600
6. Decor: $200
7. Oven: $800
8. Additional Silverware, Dishes, and Glass Ware: $500
9. A new bar top: $500
10. Bar Shelving: $300

Are you able to help?!

I've created a new website, which launched today: https://habitatlanta.com/

Thank you!

Jen

p.s. I have a new silent business partner, which helps my relationship!

Updated 28 April 2023

Hello friends and supporters! It is now clear that the land owners / previous hotel owners are not willing to negotiate. It is too late for us to save the hotel.

HOWEVER, I still want to save the restaurant & bar and am searching for a new location. I need to be moved out of the current location by May 15th and hope to secure a new space with FAR lower rent long before then.

I've changed the amount that I'm hoping to raise so I can secure a new restaurant/bar space, pay the first year's rent (which is typical in Thailand), and build out a kitchen. With a new space, I will most likely need refrigerators, burners, etc., but no matter what, the rent will not be 1 million baht per year.

This makes sense! Even in low season when there were hardly any hotel customers, the bar and restaurant are what kept me on top of payroll, electricity, and all the other bills. I'm sure in another location, likely one with walk-in customers, the restaurant will be even more successful. After all, how many restaurants & bars have 5-star reviews across multiple platforms in their first 9 months? Mine does!

If you are able, please help me save and relocate Habitat Bar & Restaurant.

Thank you so much!

Jen

After turning the hotel from a 2-star to a 3-star hotel, and turning a coffee shop into a full bar and vegetarian restaurant, we have just under four weeks to come up with the rest of next year's lease payment.

Here's why I'm asking for your help.

We incorporated in May 2022 and purchased a 15 year contract to lease Riviera Boutique House, which was a small 11-room hotel with an adjoinging cafe, on the beautiful island of Koh Lanta, on Thailand's Southern Andaman coast.

We gave a 250,000 THB Deposit and paid 990,000 THB for the first year's rent. We have spent well over 750,000 THB on repairs, maintenance, and improvements.

The first 11 months have been spent:

• Changing the cafe to a full bar and vegetarian restaurant called Habitat @ Riviera.
• Updating logos, signage, furniture, bedding, linens, towels, lamps, etc.
• Covering 8 layers of different colors of paint in the reception area.
• Discovering, repairing, and or replacing bad plumbing and electricity, replacing water pumps, and some water heaters.
• Grounding ALL the electrics so we wouldn't keep getting shocked opening the refrigerator.
• Adding electrical outlets and fans throughout the property.
• Upgrading the hotel from 2-stars to 3-stars!
• Advertising
• We were even on House Hunters International in late September, but it only just aired last month. We think this will help us with brand recognition.

ALL travelers, regardless of vaccination status or originating country, have been allowed to enter Thailand since October 2022 (5 months after starting the business). Sadly, Chinese travelers have only been able to travel since January of this year. Most economists say there will be a full post-pandemic travel recovery in late 2023 and early 2024 (the next high season). Fingers Crossed.

We realize now that the numbers the previous owners (and current land owners) gave, were so fabricated that it would be impossible to make the rent payment annually, until there's been a full travel recovery from the pandemic. We are trying to negotiate to have the rent reduced, but there is no guarantee. We should know more after April 23rd, when we meet for (hopeful) re-negotiations.

The previous owner's best month in their 7-year history (five of which were pre-pandemic), was less than HALF of our best month in just the last 2 months. Clearly, we ARE doing something right, but we still have a way to go, especially now that we're entering Low Season (May-October).

Othere than normal maintenance costs, the money we've spent on repairs, replacements, grounding the electricity, etc., should not be a recurring expense. Without those expenses and with our business booming in high season again, making the annual lease payment shouldn't be an issue.

Asking for help is not normal for me. I have put my heart, soul, time, sweat, and tears into this business and I am absolutely confident I can make this successful. I need your help doing that with financial contributions. If you aren't able to help - no worries; I appreciate that you're even reading this. If you are, I will be eternally grateful. For those that have more to give, I've sweetened the pot with free hotel stays of one to four weeks.

Thank you so much for considering this and for your continued faith in me personally as well as in my business abilities.

Humbly,

Jen

Please browse the website and read our reviews to see what customers have been saying since I took over. You can also check-out the restaurant and see restaurant reviews here.

#HelpSaveOurHotel