Buying a bar is one of the most popular ways for foreigners to start a business in Pattaya. It can also be the fastest way to lose money, because most problems are invisible on a busy Saturday night. This guide walks you through a bar takeover the way we run it for our buyers, from the first viewing to the day you get the keys.
What a bar takeover actually is
Almost every bar in Pattaya is sold as a takeover, not a freehold purchase. You pay the current owner a one-time price for the business: the bar counter, furniture, sound system, fridges, stock, the bar’s name and its regular customers. The building stays with the landlord. You take over the remaining lease, or sign a new one, and keep paying monthly rent.
That means the value of a bar sits largely in two things: the lease and the location. A beautifully fitted bar with eight months left on its lease is worth far less than a plain bar with five years and a cooperative landlord.
Step 1: shortlist by location and type
Decide what kind of venue you want to run before you look at prices. A small beer bar in a side soi, a sports bar, a live-music venue and an agogo are completely different businesses, with different customers, hours, staff and licences.
- Walking Street has the highest foot traffic and the highest rents, best for larger venues and agogos.
- Soi Buakhao, Soi LK Metro and Tree Town suit beer bars and sports bars with regular expat and long-stay customers.
- Jomtien and Pratumnak suit quieter, food-led bars aimed at families and couples.
Read more in our guide to the best areas to buy a business in Pattaya, or browse bars for sale.
Step 2: visit at different times
View every bar at least twice: once in the afternoon to inspect the building and equipment, and once at its busiest hour to see the customers. Sit as a customer before you introduce yourself as a buyer. Count how many people are drinking, not how many are passing by.
Step 3: check the lease
This is the most important step. Ask for a copy of the lease and confirm:
- How many years remain, and whether there is a written option to renew.
- The monthly rent and any increases already agreed.
- The deposit held by the landlord, and whether it transfers to you or must be paid again.
- That the landlord agrees in writing to the transfer, or will sign a new lease with you.
- Who pays for repairs to the roof, plumbing and electrics.
If the landlord does not know the bar is being sold, stop until they do. A takeover without the landlord’s consent is not a takeover.
Step 4: check licences and the trading figures
A bar needs a valid alcohol licence, and venues with dancing or loud music may need an entertainment licence and must be in a zone where that is allowed. Ask whether the licences are in the current owner’s name or their company’s, and how they will pass to you.
Then ask for real numbers: daily or monthly sales from the till system, purchase receipts for drinks, staff wages, rent and utilities, for at least six months. A seller who refuses to show any figures is telling you something.
Step 5: plan your legal set-up
To run a bar legally as a foreigner you normally need a Thai company, a business visa and a work permit. Setting these up takes time and money, so include them in your budget. Our article can foreigners own a business in Thailand? explains the basics, and we introduce our buyers to lawyers who handle it.
Step 6: agree the price and pay a holding deposit
Once you are happy, agree the takeover price and sign a short written agreement with a holding deposit. It should say what is included (a signed inventory of equipment and stock), the handover date, and when the deposit is refundable, for example if the landlord refuses the transfer.
Step 7: handover
On handover day the lease is transferred or re-signed, stock is counted, the inventory is checked, and you pay the balance. Agree in advance which staff stay, and get the passwords for the sound system, cameras, social media and online maps listing.
What to budget for
- The takeover price.
- The landlord’s deposit and advance rent, if they are not transferred.
- Company, visa and work permit costs.
- Working capital for the first two to three months: rent, wages, stock and marketing.
Red flags
- Less than two years left on the lease, or no renewal option.
- No trading figures at all, or figures that cannot be matched to receipts.
- Pressure to pay a large deposit before you have seen the lease.
- The landlord “not needing to know”.
Every bar we list has been visited in person, and we check the lease and licences with the seller before it goes online. Buyers pay no fees. See the bars available now or tell us what you are looking for.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm your situation with a licensed Thai lawyer.
