fatbob wrote: ↑

March 26, 2018, 10:28 am

timmy wrote: ↑

March 26, 2018, 10:23 am

fatbob wrote: ↑

March 26, 2018, 8:44 am

timmy wrote: ↑

March 25, 2018, 1:05 pm

do they sell ARCHA or to hi-so , for them types ..?

My statement about you stands.

and mine about YOU ...

So why is the Brick House deemed to be Hi-So by yourself, would love to know???

it seems that your reading skills ar,nt upto much ,, so i,ll write slowly , it was ONLY a question ... do they sell " archa " ??? . OR is it a HI-SO bar ( because i dont know as i,ve never been in the bar ) i do know that some bars wont stock it because archa is classed as a low end beer ...

The Brick House review, not a squabble fight, best change drinks.
Pineapple crush BHI= B80 Size 800ml cost per ml B0.1 served in Glass
" ' " " "" Night market= B30 Size 300ml cost per ml B0.1 served in Plastic

Choose where you like to sit= nice wooden surrounds BHI, or busy night market
Choose service type = Table serve BHI or self serve
Choose ambiance = Decor BHI, industrial shed Market
Choose Parking ease car = BHI 70% chance find before 3PM approx
.................................= Market 100% chance
Scooter........................= BHI / market 100%
Welcome response..........= BHI always a smile, as a regular/ Market, Yes please, maybe smile, as a regular
Choose relax-ability .........= BHI stay as long as you like, move to soi view tables, stay middle tables. watch TV, play pool, go sit garden tables. Market move to table facing north, or move to table facing south, repeat as often as you like.
Reason for outing.............Cheap charlie meal drinking at market, just to fill the spot and resupply body fuel, eat sleep keyboard homi.
..................................BHI, take your time enjoy life, make it a pleasure, take in life's journey, still eat sleep keyboard homi

Final report= cost does not apply to Supparot Bun/ Pineapple crush

Reccomendations: Drink PINEAPPLE CRUSH

What a great bar!

Another positive step forward for Udon Thani!

Well done Max ..... who has invested in our town, and deserves our support.

Amongst the local beers is San Mig Light on draft .... not due to be released in this area until June, a bit of arm twisting sorted it and barrels are being emptied smartish.

The Brick House draft beers are stored in a cold room above the bar.

Barazzas ....Camps Bay, Cape Town, Embassy Bar.... Mandarin, Macau, The XV .... Val d'Isere, France ..... Delaneys.... Kowloon ...... yes ..... The Brick House has sneeked into my top five!

This is now my "local"

The choice of beer is outstanding. Old Speckled Hen on draft is my choice but there are plenty of others to suit all pockets.

The food is wonderful. I've had 5 meals so far, all perfectly cooked. Incidentally, non-greasy chips, crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside just like Mum couldn't do!

The staff are attentive but unobtrusive, a really difficult balance to achieve.

The interior has taken a lot of thought as has the garden ( a work in progress but very comfortable),

Max, the owner, is very approachable and also very professional.

To echo other comments, I consider we are very lucky to have the Brick House and I hope Max gets the rewards for his highly innovative approach.

Curry's Up

In town yesterday took the opportunity to visit the Brick House. Warmly greeted at the entrance by a very polite young girl , seated under a fan, and shown the menu. My order taken immediately, and double-check by the waitress. My bacon cheese burger c/w chips arrived , beautifully presented on a wooden platter, more about that later. Burger was very tasty and juicy, the salad on the bun does need to be dressed however. The piece-de-resistance are the chips, served in a mini deep fat fryer, were simply the best I have eaten almost anywhere I have been. They look good, have a wonderful crunch and insides are soft and fluffy. well done the Chef. Prices were very reasonable. The wooden platter however aesthetically pleasing it may be, will be a devil to keep clean and sharp looking.

Eaten there 3’times this week - foods fine, price is fine, great decor but geez the service staff are terrible. Not wanting to diss the place completely but if the owner wants to message me I can elaborate.

I’m fully aware of staffing issues etc in Thailand and I wish the business well but if it’s any chance of success they do need to sit their staff and communication issues out and PRONTO

ajsp9 wrote: ↑

March 31, 2018, 9:35 am

Eaten there 3’times this week - foods fine, price is fine, great decor but geez the service staff are terrible. Not wanting to diss the place completely but if the owner wants to message me I can elaborate.

I’m fully aware of staffing issues etc in Thailand and I wish the business well but if it’s any chance of success they do need to sit their staff and communication issues out and PRONTO

I have known Max for many years from the old days in Patts , our wholesale company supply the BHI with some beverage products so i do talk to him regularly ..after many years in the trade here in Thailand (Witherspoons Pattya) he is fully aware of the issues you mention and is working on them .. i can confirm from my own experiences STAFFING PROBLEMS are the main cause for concern when operating a business here....the Thai workforce here in Udon are very transient , no sooner have you found a good reliable one trained them up ..then they disspear quicker than a Yorkshireman at check bin time and you are back to square one.

DM

a bit of advice take it or leave it. if you want the best from staff , put aside 1 hour a week for brush up training, introducing new dishes and reflecting on last weeks failures and how to improve on them. staff will appreciate it and I'm not sure how many staff he has, but try to get some team work going, so everyone knows what their job is. if you give small responsibilities out they respond well "x" checks tables ," y " makes sure cutlery and dumb waiters are stocked. make staff feel they have an interest in running a ship shape business. also sorts out the lazy ones, and bonus time is you don't get headaches . the problem is when you try to get them to do everything, just too much. kitchen should have a chef and cleaner, outside a floor supervisor to co ordinate waiting staff and a barman that only takes care of the bar. don't try to get them to be a jack of all trades...it stresses them and then off the disappear

Drunk Monkey wrote: ↑

March 31, 2018, 9:56 am

ajsp9 wrote: ↑

March 31, 2018, 9:35 am

Eaten there 3’times this week - foods fine, price is fine, great decor but geez the service staff are terrible. Not wanting to diss the place completely but if the owner wants to message me I can elaborate.

I’m fully aware of staffing issues etc in Thailand and I wish the business well but if it’s any chance of success they do need to sit their staff and communication issues out and PRONTO

I have known Max for many years from the old days in Patts , our wholesale company supply the BHI with some beverage products so i do talk to him regularly ..after many years in the trade here in Thailand (Witherspoons Pattya) he is fully aware of the issues you mention and is working on them .. i can confirm from my own experiences STAFFING PROBLEMS are the main cause for concern when operating a business here....the Thai workforce here in Udon are very transient , no sooner have you found a good reliable one trained them up ..then they disspear quicker than a Yorkshireman at check bin time and you are back to square one.

DM

Yes I know hence my offer of a PM to specifically mention where I think it can be improved.

Incidentally and off topic I was talking to Selina on Wednesday about this and she wishes Max all the best in his Issan venture

Drunk Monkey wrote: ↑

March 31, 2018, 9:56 am

ajsp9 wrote: ↑

March 31, 2018, 9:35 am

Eaten there 3’times this week - foods fine, price is fine, great decor but geez the service staff are terrible. Not wanting to diss the place completely but if the owner wants to message me I can elaborate.

I’m fully aware of staffing issues etc in Thailand and I wish the business well but if it’s any chance of success they do need to sit their staff and communication issues out and PRONTO

I have known Max for many years from the old days in Patts , our wholesale company supply the BHI with some beverage products so i do talk to him regularly ..after many years in the trade here in Thailand (Witherspoons Pattya) he is fully aware of the issues you mention and is working on them .. i can confirm from my own experiences STAFFING PROBLEMS are the main cause for concern when operating a business here....the Thai workforce here in Udon are very transient , no sooner have you found a good reliable one trained them up ..then they disspear quicker than a Yorkshireman at check bin time and you are back to square one.

DM

I reckon you best get those pesky Yorkshiremen on a pay-as-you-go system, no 'bins' to abscond on.

My biggest complaint with most of the Western style eateries in Udon is the poor level of service. I enjoy Thai food on occasion, but I go to Western restaurants not only for the food but in the hopes that I can experience the kind of customer service that I receive back in my home country. Unfortunately, I generally get the same type of service that I would get in any Thai restaurant, and for me that is just not acceptable, sadly lacking and downright discourteous.

One is generally approached by a waiter/waitress without any kind of greeting and only a smirk on their face as if to say “what the hell are you doing here”? The order is taken and inevitably there is always a misunderstanding or miscommunication. In one particular restaurant last week I ordered a hot coco when I was asked for my drink order, and instead I was served a dinner salad. How any waitress can screw up such a simple thing is beyond me. Most often the waitress returns with the food and hasn’t a clue who ordered what dish if there is more than one patron at the table, and this only adds to the confusion. I believe most Westerners expect that their dirty dishes will be taken away after the food is consumed and the remainder of the dining experience can be spent finishing off a drink at a clean table without all the clutter. However, what generally happens is the waitress disappears never to be seen again. Management should teach employees that the simple taking away of dishes represents an opportunity to sell additional food and drink items to the patron. When was the last time you witnessed a Thai waitress ask if you would like a dessert or another drink? In my estimation huge profit opportunities fly right out the window daily because waitresses neglect to “SELL” food and drinks. Westerners never feel like their privacy is being invaded if the waitress comes around occasionally to see if we need anything else. As a matter of fact I think we all expect that kind of service, so why should they feel so timid to do so? Again, it all boils down to proper training by management. Next comes the arduous task of getting the attention of the waitress in order to get a bill. Much of the time they are away talking to other employees or playing on their cell phones and are paying no attention to the customer. Last but not least is the mistake that comes very often with the calculation of the final bill. I always expect it to be wrong and it generally is. One thing I really like about The Brick House Inn is the presentation of the bill in that little wooden bucket before the meal is served. If there is any discrepancy in the bill it can be dealt with in short order before it turns into a catastrophe.

When I go out to eat I expect to have a pleasant dining experience, and that encompasses more than just having good food. What’s just as important is the manner in which one is received into the restaurant and the caliber of courteous and respectful service. The presentation of the dish is paramount and so is the manner in which the bill is settled and the pleasantries that are exchanged when I leave the premises. I shouldn’t have to go to a 5 star restaurant to be treated like a 5 star customer. Any restaurant owner that desires to have a successful venture has nothing to lose by taking the time to teach his employees such simple techniques and courtesies. It’s not rocket science!

Having said all that, I am very happy that The Brick House Inn has opened in Udon. As is the case with any new restaurant there will be a learning curve for the employees. Unfortunately, most patrons don’t have unlimited patience and many will apply the “three strikes and you’re out” rule. First impressions can make or break a new restaurant, so let’s just hope that Max can get it all together because I’m sure we are all rooting for him to succeed.

Delivered to the BH earlier today and i cant see the place NOT succeeding , Brief chat with Max and informed him of this topic and in his words .. QUOTE , im on it , it will all come together just takes time.

Whilst i was waiting for him to remember the combination of his safe room i had a nosey around ..must say its a blooming loverly design and fit out.

DM

one thing about running a place . back in the uk if I was running a restaurant and a bunch of Chinese walked in not speaking a word of English it would be hard for me to work out if they ordered cod and chips or asked to use the toilet.
if you can speak fluent thai that's the best way to order it, unless your waitress has a masters degree in English literature and can understand the huge variety of accents then it has potential to go wrong will be there. as a thai guy once said to me "you speak very good English" seemed swiss, french and Brazilians speaking English is really hard for them to understand like me wandering into a Peruvian restaurant and asking for biscuits and gravy or pie and mash

This is too easy to anyone with a nounce of business accumin!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a good menu with pictures, descriptions in Thai and English, too easy

It's even easier just to number the items on the menu.

why?? must have description and picture for all the idiots

from what I understand they are trying different dishes so unless they want to print a new set of menus every week for the "idiots customers" none of it works , putting numbers won't help if you have flexible menu .fixed menus are a pain and won't help if the customer wants specifics kai dow, kai nam ect. best one I have seen is tablet menus, easy to change the food , specials,price changes and no finger pointing like an chimp hoping your waitress understands English with a Geordie accent

The beer on tap is why I go, great breakfast, burgers and pasta. The staff has a lot to learn and if you are watching Max is working with them and trying to train them in proper service. I like many places in Udon for dinner or lunch and the Brick House is very good. Love that Hoegarden draft.

IMO ... Small fixed menu .. 20 items , numbered with pics ..then a few special menu items chalk boards dotted around the premises with another 6 or so specials dishes that can be changed easily as a new special takes over.

I PAD menus were the next thing we were going to try at the Tap but never happened as we sold up so not our decision to make now. IMO the jury is still out as too if the I PAD menu would work here i have my reservations . For the real tekky places like MK the waiters use mini pads that send the orders direct to the kitchen tv screens which does away with any confusion en route ...maybe.

Im sure Max will get all his ducks in a row very soon , in the meantime looks like the BH is doing pretty dam well regardless.

DM