Are Pattaya Bar Owners and Bar Managers Pimps? 

You did very well in this one Pete, you asked good questions and nice follow up to and allowed the guest to answer. As an interviewer you have to ask tough questions and allow guest to respond. I’ll be in Thailand for 6 week in June and most of July love to meet up if you want.

I have never heard such BS in my life. I take that back. I've heard this before. This is what every bar owner/manager in Pattaya says.

is this guy for real take the lady out of the bar to go for a walk come on man get a grip

All pattaya bar owners my not do it. But if you charge a bar fine and require your employees girls to be bar fined you are a pump. This guy is just trying to rationalize and justify his life. I am sure he is not telling his family he is selling sex. Having married a bar girl, i agree many girls are looking to be saved, looking for a foreign boyfriend coming from difficult lives and he exploits them. He is a pimp. Great interview Pete. Looking forward to more.

It seems like he’s in denial about what he really does for business, he can’t seem to accept it.

Either he will go bust or the local mafia will wait for him to build it up into a money-spinner then make him an offer he can't refuse. Poor guy - farangs should never get into that business, especially naive ones like this guy.

Will be back in Pattaya in October, The Backyard's definitely on my list. Keep up the good work Pete and best of luck David.

Fair play to him..it took balls to do that interview .Pete has a great channel and it's going place's. 👍

"I don't think of myself as a pimp, I think of myself as a business owner". So do Pimps.. 🤣🤣🤣

Great interview!!! This guest knows exactly what is going on and tap dances around the truth. That's why in another video he talked about having short time rooms upstairs and he talked to another nearby location to arrange use of their rooms for short time sex. Let's not try to fool us. It is what it is. If the girls weren't there for prostitution, there would be no bar fine set up in place. You are renting the girls out. Yes, it's a business, the business of women for sex. But the women are there voluntarily, no one is exploiting them. These bar girls are not working at the bar to meet husbands, stop the bullshit. It's not a good or bad thing, but you have prostitutes who rent out for a bar fine. No big deal, but don't try and make it something it's not. It's not a library.

Great interview. Some of the comments suggest David was evasive with some questions and didn't address "prostitution" and "sex for hire" directly, as if he didn't want to admit any culpability. However, it's worth noting that he has to be pretty careful with what he says. This is a sensitive topic and as a business owner in the entertainment industry, and a new one at that, he doesn't want to upset any apple carts. He handled it well and didn't talk too openly about anything that might come back to bite him. Sensible.

I don't have a problem with what he is doing. But I have a huge problem with him whitewashing it.

Twisting himself into pretzels to deny any links to the pay-for-play scene. He's happy enough to make money from selling booze and female company, so he should just own it.

I've been coming to Pattaya for years & I've never paid a bar fine .I just love to get smashed & love the attention from the girls.I pay for there attention with lady drinks..Every time I walk by a girlie bar,I feel like a Rock Star.. David seems a good fellow & I look forward to having a few drinks in his bar.

So what's a bar fine then? Come on dude, I'm not judging you but all the weasel words do you no favours. A pimp is a person who profits off of prostitution. If you charge bar fines then you are profiting from prostitution. As for "You have no clue what's going to happen when the lady leaves the bar" No clue? Really? You sound extraordinarily naive if you're being genuine 🙄 So let me help you out. She's not going back to his hotel to play chess. Or do his tax returns.

"I'm not a pimp because occasionally they don't have sex" Alllllrighty then...

Pete you need to interview long term bar owners, with the juice stories about characters that come back to these locations. I heard of guy that work on oil rigs 6 months on 6 months off. bought a new car and lets a guy drive it as a taxi and as a chauffer when he's on shore.

Great interview..mainly because you asked "tough" or "uncomfortable" questions. But those type of questions are the ones we want to know the answers to. As a previous restaurant owner, I found this interview very interesting. There is a guy that is very popular that covers Pattaya on RU-vid and he says that the womens interaction with men at most of these bars are strictly "business transactions" which most of the guys who visit this area have no clue and fall in love and get screwed over by the girl.Also, I believe the bar owners mostly pay protection money, exactly like the mob in New York.

Excellent interview . His responses were very guarded but you plugged away. Lets face it. Girl are provided by bars . The bar owner gets a cut of the barfine and obviously theres the Ladies drinks. Also freelancers that arnt salaried are there for one reason only if we are honest about it. But I get he needs to be carefull how he answers on Camera. Well done all round . Sunscreen!!! , that was a great answer. 😂😂

I’ve got a bar in a large village and we don’t have free lancers in as the main customers are from the surrounding areas and are mostly married.if we had girls in we would lose half of the customers as their partners would block them coming in.

Wholley shit that interview has certainly got the comments flowing Pete, I have to say your viewers are definitely giving David respect for agreeing to the interview and for the most part going easy on him. At the end of the day it is Pattaya and there's a lot worse folk out there running dodgy business's. Excellent interview with direct questions, well done again Pete!

Even I thought Thailand was sleezy before I travelled there, but it’s nothing like what I imagined, it’s exactly the same as going to a club and meeting people, the girl will not go with you unless she likes you, it’s much better than going to a pub because everyone there is single and hoping to meet someone…if you call a girl a prostitute because she has sex with you for money then 90 percent of girls are prostitutes because no girl in the world is free…ask the men who just get divorced and ask them how much it cost them. 😂

In the USA, we use the word “escort” when paying a woman for her “companionship”.-The term has an classier ring to it than “prostitute”. So Pete, use that word instead. Owning a bar in Pattaya isn’t for rookies. When I lived in Pattaya (14 years) so many bars and restaurants owned by farangs closed up within a couple years. It will be interesting if this guy is around a year from now. Good luck to him. Pete… some guys in our countries spend money buying a girl drinks or on a couple dates hoping to get laid. Maybe this direct transaction, ( going to a bar and negotiating with a “bar girl”for sex), is more truthful than in Western countries.

This is very interesting interview with both parties! Maybe you should interview bargirls Pete to see a different angle of life. Well done you Pete!

That's funny. If you had a bar in Dublin and transported it to Pattaya you'd go broke in a week.

he isn't a pimp! the lady chooses whether to go or not, she negotiates the fee she just serves drinks in his bar, the bar fine is to release her from the bar

Would you go into an industry you don't know, in a foreign country? I certainly wouldn't take the risk.

Hope you discuss the culture being different in Thailand. How the girls families have awareness and the duty Thia girls have to support their parents in old age. It's like US politicians imposing their beliefs in the middle east. Whether you like it or not, they have a different history, culture and tradition and it's not really for us to be judgemental. More than one thing makes the world go around.

Pimps? No, pimps take the girl's money. Thai bargirls are salaried on contract and negotiate service costs independent of the bar. The mamasan deals directly with the girls, not the owner. Money paid to the bar for a girl to leave is compensation for the money lost by the bar for lady drinks not sold by her. The backyard Bar is long gone.

Interview Phil from Le Pub bar in Pattaya. He will give a veterans perspective to these questions.

Your channel is blowing up! Well deserved! You have some unique content that no one else has, and you are not afraid to ask what everyone else wants to know. Your interview with Tony Huge was epic! Going to watch this interview now :D

We live in Pattaya and will visit and support your endeavors. We are a married couple not interested in the girls but love to try new places. You did a great job on some difficult questions.

Business owner? Haha! He can do what he wants, but he's talking rubbish.

🤔……the answer is “YES”…..he is a pimp - but he seems like a nice pimp. Great interview! - David can parse words all he wants, but if you take the girls out of the bars (along with what we all know they are offering) then the bar owners will do significantly less business - and most would fail immediately.

ขอบคุณที่ ถามคำถามที่สังคมไทย ไม่กล้าถาม กัน รายการนี้ดีมากครับ นำสังคมไปสู่คุณภาพที่สูงขึ้น บาร์girl … เจ้าของบาร์จดทะเบียน เสียภาษี ถูกกฏหมาย ให้ใต้โต๊ะ กันหรือเปล่า อเมริกันเปิดบาร์มีผู้หญิงรองรับ

Good luck to him I guess, I wouldn't be one to judge the guy, but the attempt to say women that take money for sex aren't prostitutes was weak. If we go changing the definition of words what is the point in using them. Whether or not the word deserves any stigma is another question but call a spade a spade pal.

อะไรเกิดนอกบาร์ เจ้าของไม่สนใจ ไม่รับรู้ ดื่มได้ตามใจชอบ เมาแล้วขับรถไปชนคนตายผมไม่รับผิดชอบ เพราะผมรับแต่ผลประโยชน์เงินอย่างเดียว เงิน 2 ปี มาเปิดธุรกิจสีเทาแล้ว

Nailed it! Good interview Pete.

That wasn't the easiest of interviews and the questions came across as moralistic and judgemental. Live and let live

A pimp demands his women to turn over ALL their earnings at the end of the night and if it’s not enough money or if he suspects the woman is holding out on him then a severe physical beating will take place. I just don’t think that’s the case here.

Weiard interviu. Questions sounds like made for people in occident with no clue about orient. Kind of insulting questions. I ld answer rude as questions are.. Very " etical" perfect "people just stay home in your perfect country and dont go pattaya

It takes a very brave man to enter the bar biz in this time. Kudos to him!

What makes a Pattaya bar different than American bar is that you can take a salaried employee out at most any time. You pay a bar fine to compensate the bar for the loss of her services. He is right, once you and the girl leave the bar then what you do on your own time is no different than if you went into a US bar and left with one of the women customers. The bar girl can choose not to leave with a customer similarity to a girl refusing a guy in a US bar. A Pattaya bar would probably hire staff with the assumption that will see some of them leave throughout the night.

Wait wait wait... So... If a pimp does not know what his girls get up too after she meets a john then he isn't a pimp?? How does that work?? It's pimping plain and simple

To answer the question in. your title it's a simple YES! I'm a live & let live type of guy & whatever goes on between two consenting adult's is their business but to watch this guy try & justify himself as just a businessman & nothing more if frankly laughable, at least own face up to the fact that if you are operating a bar that benefits from these services for want of a better word, take ownership of that fact . If you wanted to own a bar & that was your dream you can do so totally on your own terms you could set it up as a sports bar you do not have to have girls & even if you had girls you could have them on a work contract to suit, much like a girl who worked in a local shop, restaurant or hotel. I very much believe this guy will charge a bar fine for any girl leaving the bar before the end of her shift hence he is a major part of the operation & knows exactly what is going on & furthermore happy to profit form it, for him to act naive about it all is cringeworthy. So simple if you own a bar that allows girls to leave before their shift is over & you charge a fee for them leaving you well know what you are doing & your also comfortable about doing it. Yes like everywhere there are all types of people & I would never judge a girls reason for doing what they do, some come from very poor backgrounds that we in the west just don't comprehend the struggles they & their families go through which drives them into these job's, there are also the type who do just love the party life & who will take advantage of situation they can control. The bar & party scene is just a very small part of a country that has so much. Yes people will always want to party but Thailand as a country offers so much more. Great questions Pete but realistically this guy is never going to give his honest answers. I imagine this guy has a mama-san from the way he talks & I bet there is a bar fine in operation within his bar, so he fully knows what he is apart of.

Who cares? I don’t Pete. There’s more important issues in Thailand that should be addressed before taking the moral high ground on the bar scene.

What if he's just a face for an organisation in the background? That's the norm in Thailand.You have face and the faceless organisation calls the shots.

If you got girls working for you and they go with a customer and you get a cut ythat makes you a pimp.

He’s not hiring girls out so he’s not a pimp. Even the “bar fine” doesn’t include sex.

Maybe David should go back to Chicago and use the same business model that he perfected in Pattaya? Wonder how long it would be before he was busted?

That was a somewhat awkward interview for the both of you. This is always a difficult subject, afterall, what shapes our views comes from a variety of life experiences. If you were raised with weekly trips to the church, then I can't imagine that person would view this business in a negative light, and vice versa for people raised in a more liberal way. Fortunately, someone like me doesn't have to form an opinion either way, and I'm more into learning about the experiences of people that you interview. It's seldom I express an opinion in a negative manner, and just look at this young man as a business owner, just trying to promote his business in a variety of ways and really cannot be forthright, or he will end up endangering himself or others, or end up with legal problems in a foriegn country....so, under the circumstances, he could only answer in vague ways.

Great comeback on the word 'prostitute'! It is what it is! It doesn't matter what you call it! 'Prostitute', 'hostess', 'business woman', or anything else, The name does not change what it is.

Im definitely gonna check out The Backyard when I come to Pattaya early next year. Cheers to Pete and David for the interview

A great interview and good answers from the bar owner. In respect of pimps. I think Pattaya and here especially Central Pattaya is a huge red light district. If I look at Central Pattaya. You have Soi 6, the Beach Road, the Walking Street, LK Metro, Tree Town, Made in Pattaya, Soi Buakhao and many other places that are full of sex businesses and prostitutes. In addition you have endless girls online for instance at ThaiFriendly. Walk around in Central Pattaya and you will see mostly male sex and booze tourists. Since Cannabis is now legal and Casinos might be possible in the near future you might imagine how the future of Pattaya will look like. The government is always talking about switching to family tourists. But on the beaches you can't even find showers, toilets or changing rooms. I don't have the feeling that they really want to change. If a bar owner is a pimp or not doesn't matter. He is part of the Pattaya sex industry if he wants or not.

I just saw a farang Gary Reed get savagely attacked in a Pattaya gym and he may lose is eye. A couple of Pattaya farang bar owners Nick and Bryan interviewed Gary on their YT channel and helped bring awareness to his plight and his go fund me page set up by his sister to pay for an urgently needed surgery. IF they are pimps they are very compassionate ones.

Just guys thinking he's been interviewed by Garda Síochána. Has All the right word 🤣🤣🤣😃

I enjoy living in vietnam more, but I'm still extremely interested in your videos - Your interview style is excellent, I especially like the way you do ask the difficult / direct questions

Pete, if you have a hard hitting interview, try using the sandwich technique where the meat of critical/difficult questions are packed in the middle. You started 6 min into a 27 min interview and the fella was on edge the rest of the way. He's a bit of a bore personality wise, so adding being on edge, this one was like pulling teeth for me.

thought i would open a bar in BKK back when i was there but was warned of the mafia influences in that industry, also in pattaya... wonder if that was true or not...

You interviewed the wrong guy. This bloke has owned a bar for 5 mins. I have definitely met plenty of bar managers who have tried pimping the girls out over the years.

"It's very easy for me, my whole life, to separate work from reality." No kidding. He's delusional and in denial. This story won't end well.

I wouldn't want to drink with this bloke

Hey Pete! Always entertaining and great interview....i had some thoughts on this one but will keep them to myself...respect and cheers! rb

Some good Bill Clinton answers in there

New subscriber, this was the first one of your videos I've seen and enjoyed it. I thought he answered the questions in the only way he could do really. Just as he used the words "global situation" instead of pandemic so your video didn't lose ad revenue.

"in Dublin we call people like you pimps" The response to that is: "in Chicago we call people like you unemployed"

To my knowledge no-one forces anyone to work in the entertainment industry...they can work in a factory or in the fields or in the entertainment industry..up to you...

You can't generalize that word "prostitute". Some of these woman may consider themselves "prostitutes", some need to make money for their family and themselves. They are "working girls". Like a girl that works at 7-Eleven, Central, a factory. Same same. It's a job.

That was an interesting interview Pete! I didn’t think I was going to sit & watch it all the all the way through and it’s nice to hear what his perspective is as a bar owner. I hope that he was being honest and real with you! Thanks for another great video 😊

A Thai friend of mine used to run girls from her bar. She used to get letters saying thank you for the new life when they met a western man and got whisked off to unimaginable places in the world.

Finally, someone pronounces Pattaya correctly! What he's got going on, is no different than what goes on in Las Vegas. Choke D krup!

I've just got back from Phuket and seen the police raid a bar that is owned by a nice American guy closed it down kicked people out cause he was arguing about the amount of money he had to pay ! I went to many bars just for a beer and the girls are great company didn't take any home ,great interview bud.

Made himself look foolish with his story about" you have no clue" he'd have earned kudos if he had just said, look this is Pattaya if you're offended by this don't come to Pattaya and don't watch the videos.

Running a bar has got to be challenging. Soi Pothole is up & coming. The bargirls are the eye candy that attracts customers. I like Mr. David's response (What two adults do behind closed doors, is their business, not mine}.

Pete, after following you (and very much enjoying your content) for a few months now, I've decided to comment for the first time. The 'bar-scene' is a very complex business. But I'll be as brief as possible. Firstly; freelancers cannot be "Exploited". They work for themselves, choose it, and nobody controls them (i.e. there are no "pimps" involved). Many actually have 'normal' day-jobs or are full-time students who, are looking to supplement their income by freelancing. If they decide to choose and work a bar on any given night, it's their choice and the bar owner will have no say whatsoever over that girl. In fact, if a freelancer wants to work a large venue (nightclub etc.) which require an entrance fee, they will need to pay just like any other customer and therefore, they 'are' for all intents-and-purposes just another customer. There can be individual arrangements made between the establishment and the girl to negotiate a percentage fee for the drinks like a commission-based agreement. But David is right when he said to you; "whatever the girls do when they leave the bar, it's between two consenting adults" (paraphrased). That is exactly what the situation is no matter what anyone wants to assume. As for the bargirls, they are not exploited either. Despite the fact that the owner or manager is their employer, they DO NOT have any say on what the girl does if she has a booking. Again, whatever she does is entirely 'her' decision. The bargirl has a choice if she even wants to go off with a customer or not (if she doesn't want to go with the guy she won't), the employer can't force them to go. That's a fact. So already, you have an essential component missing for it to be an 'exploitation'. That's not to mention that, for the kind of remuneration the girls command, the only person being taken advantage of is the customer! Apart from the bar-fine which is basically compensation for that girl not in attendance, therefore, the girl is not there to generate revenue in their absence, if the customer pays the girl for whatever reason (and there are plenty of guys who merely book the girls just for totally innocent dinner-dates) this, 'payment' in reality is a 'tip' and completely informal. Her employer will not even get to know how much she was given (if at all), much less see any of it. Hope this clarifies things. You could do a video on 'Soapys' next time mate.

Sleazy business that way, should be legalized, monitored health wise and taxed. If Thailand gets it together they could really make something professional and lucrative out of this sketchy stuff!

Good interview!

Of course they are. They will all say they are not but they are kidding themselves.

A dear in headlights, the poor fellow was doing his best to juggle his way through the interview. It ain't gonna end well, it never does but good luck to him.

Good Interview. Great channel. The Backyard is where it's at!

He shouldn't of tried to defend Pattaya. Everyone knows what it is about. If you don't like it, then don't go there.

I'm not sure why the bar owner doesn't like the word prostitute. If a person has sexual interactions in exchange for money...you're a prostitute or sex worker. No shame in owning the truth. Maybe it's just him softening the imagery by calling them 'bar girls'. Actually it's probably a cultural thing 😊

Pete.good questions bud.u do your homework.been in this bar.met dave had a beer with good guy.chok dee bud.keep it rollin

Good stuff!

Hard to make a buck in his industry. Especially in these times. He has got to have fair size testes to keep at it,, though apparently he is only 3 months in. Thai law forbids him to make admission of sex for money. So he's probably not in denial he can't say it or face prosecution. If the girls won't have sex with bar clients then I am pretty sure they would get the sack. That said I'm not trying to say its bad as Its ppls choices and all parties are willing participants, there are no victims here. Good luck to him, hopefully now covid has ravaged the Police, OMCGs and Thai Mafia won't swallow his cut too much. A follow up video in 12 months or 2 years would be good as right now he can't talk.... he has to talk about sunscreen lol .

Awesome straight forward questions, Pete. Good job.

Great interview Pete , I think David's numbers are slightly skewed, 50% not sex bars 😂😂😂 Love seeing you wearing the colours 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

Nothing wrong with been a monger my father was a monger and his fathers before him were mongers. Mongering is not just fir fun its a way of life

their notpimps , if you think some overseas farang can stand over a strong willed thai girl , forget it , this guy sold his "backyard bar" maybe 12 to 18 mths ago, in an interview on another YT channel he said he was earning USD $ 3.00 an hr during low season,high season better , but not huge earnings , on another note , an interview last yr with Australian Bar owner in Soi 6 ,he said all the girls quit after new year , he had no girls at all ,so had to shut the bar temporarily to find new staff...so he had no control over the girls ...no way are you going to tell a thai girl what to do ,

It’s really hard to be a bar owner in Asia. Lots of corruption. Hands out all the time. A lot of those girls have kids. No husband/father. So this means these girls who are mostly uneducated, have to support themselves, their kids, their parents too. On whatever they will make. And that means whatever they do! Many are stuck. So in a way this guy provides them an income. More than working at a McDonald’s. In Manila it’s the same exact thing. This guy was exactly calm during this interview. Some would have shut down the interview. But he stuck it out.

Brits go to Spain to open a bar, they go to Thailand to open a brothel.

Good interview 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺 seemed like a good bloke. I will call into his bar for some drinks in September 🍺🍺

Gee Whiz Pete!! Pretty tough questions. What is next a Catholic Priest and asking him " Now Father what really goes on with you and the Altar boys" haha.. I do miss the "Smack Ass Happy Bar" In Pattaya. No need to bar fine when you can smack their ass with a soft hose..lol And always remember that sun screen. Wise man.

nice report. I wonder how many bar owners would say. "Yeh, so what ? "

I have been to David's place just after it opened primarily because he's an American (which is rare in Thailand) and watched his concept being built via other videos. It does have a different vibe than most girl bars (no hassles or pressure). Great place to have a beer and watch the world go by or play pool or other backyard games (thus the name). He's a rare breed so it's interesting to talk with him (and he is very approachable).

who goes to a bar to get a girl,, just go on line.. (thai friendly and dateinasia).. i will go to his bar. good guy.

Of course he is a pimp. The women working in the bars do it out of poverty or because they see friends from their village getting rich very quickly, some of them are hoping to find a better life with one of the customers. He is facilitating the process and gets financial gain from it.

"Pimps and Prostitutes in Pattaya",,, never would of guessed that.

I missed this when it launched. great work, Pete!

That was a great interview Pete it was hard questions but made for a fab interview you found your gem job thanks again Pete keep it up😃