Pattaya’s diners crisis boils over as costs soar
Sorrathep warns that the dining industry could collapse if the Thai government does not take action
Pattaya’s vibrant dining scene, once a culinary magnet for locals and tourists alike, is now being battered by a wave of soaring costs, and some restaurant owners say 2025 is shaping up to be even worse than the Covid-19 era.
A toxic mix of rising gas prices, skyrocketing raw ingredient costs, labour shortages, and sluggish consumer spending is turning up the heat on the industry. Restaurateurs are calling it a “hamburger crisis” — and the kitchen is on fire.
Sorrathep Steve, President of the Restaurant Business Club and an honorary advisor to the Hostel Association of Thailand, sounded the alarm, urging Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her economic team to step in before the entire sector collapses.
“Restaurants are being squeezed from both ends, out-of-control overheads and disappearing customer purchasing power,” said Sorrathep. “The current situation is unsustainable.”
He has proposed five urgent measures to rescue the industry:
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Cancel the third round of digital wallet giveaways and instead bring back the Khon La Khrueng co-pay scheme for six months to boost real food spending.
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Allow independent consumers and businesses to claim tax deductions for dining expenses, a budget-neutral policy that could encourage spending while increasing government revenue.
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Control energy and raw material costs, especially as the dry season drives produce prices even higher.
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Halve Social Security contributions for employers until the end of 2025 to ease payroll pressure.
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Launch short-term tourism boosts while implementing a 15-year sustainable tourism strategy, not just one-off seasonal events.
“The government during the pandemic at least tried to help,” said Sorrathep. “Now, it’s like they’re not even listening. We’ve called for food expense deductions multiple times, up to 20,000 baht for sole consumers and 100,000 baht for businesses, and heard nothing back.”
He also criticised previous cash handout schemes for failing to reach small food vendors, SMEs, and street markets.
“That money went straight into paying off debts. Meanwhile, costs keep rising and customers keep disappearing.”
With tourism still sputtering and the We Travel Together programme delayed into irrelevance, many restaurants in Pattaya are reporting revenue drops of over 50%, reported Pattaya Mail.
“The restaurant industry fuels one of Thailand’s biggest supply chains. When we suffer, the whole economy suffers. If the government won’t act now, when will it?”
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