Staff members of Teens of Thailand had to sell dumplings to help the business survive. (Photo by=Pichayada Promchertchoo) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Cocktails are usually concocted with different gins from around the world in the bar. But to this day, they contained black vinegar, used to complement the bar’s latest offering - dumplings.
A few staff members were outside manning a small pop-up stall that had become their main source of income since the year started.
For nearly two months, this has been the harsh reality for a hip gin bar in Bangkok’s old quarter, Teens of Thailand - a direct and financially damaging impact of the government’s order in early January to shut pubs and bars in an attempt to control a new wave of COVID-19 outbreak. Weeks of zero alcohol sales have forced many bars to adjust for survival. For the likes of Teens of Thailand, doing so has also transformed the way they operate for good. “At first we thought ‘Again?’. There was hardly any time to get prepared,” co-founder Niks Anuman Rajadhon told CNA.
For Niks, who owns three cocktail bars in Bangkok, it felt like unemployment without any compensation. While his employees were paid compensation from the Social Security Fund, business owners like him - who continued to pay rent, utilities and the staff - were not eligible. Besides Teens of Thailand, several other bars were also forced to change their business model during the weeks-long closure.