Manhattans Fires Manager! Too Gay??!!

Well rumors are flying now aren't they? Tom the great manager is now gone. I hear that the owners have mentioned that Manhattans is too expensive a place, and too gay (???). This is NOT coming from Tom. Rumor has it that owners and manager saw disagreement on the fact that there were too many male gay employees, too many gay clientele and not enough straight customers. Rumor continues that Manhattans owners have something to do with a few other restaurants in Pattaya and want to turn it into a type of "Hooters" restaurant. For those of you who do not know it, this is a chain of restaurants with big busted sexy women.

I decided to go there myself and see what I could see as I thought the restaurant was fabulous the way it was and enjoyed going there on many occasions. Steve, one of the owners said that Tom's leaving was "sudden" and "unplanned". Yes, I believe it was unplanned for Tom. He said there were no immediate plans to change anything. I thought his use of the word immediate was unsettling.

Bar seemed to be the same. Free Hor dourves the same. Off to dinner.
Staff was unusually disorientated. Appetizers took a very long time. We timed it from the time they took the appetizer plates to the time the main courses came out.....27 MINUTES!! That would have never gone over with Tom!
I found the appetizer portions less than usual and somewhat not as tasty.

Main entrees. I had my usual dish of lamb. They have always been fabulous and big. I found my lamb chops to be HALF the size as usual and HALF as thick!!!! My boys ordered Thai and took two tastes and pushed their plates away!!! They have always sat with me in Manhattan and while it was never their FAVORITE place, never pushed it away!!

I was with two other Falang and they were not happy either and they have eaten there before also.
I looked around and maybe it was my imagination but I thought there were a lot more male/female couples. It was a Friday night and the place at 8:30 was less than 1/2 full and I have always known it to be almost impossible to get a table on a weekend at this time.

I know the main reason that I want to pass this on is that I have never put up with.... TOO GAY. I think that the community should respond with crossing Manhattan off their list! Gay people do not need to spend their money where they feel they need to STRAIGHTEN IT UP A BIT. The other reason is obviously they have their reputation and now they want to cut quality, value and portions and that doesn't sit well with me either.
I wonder if Tom saw these two things they wanted to change and had words and was terminated.
Can't reach him so I don't know for certain.

Bye Bye Manhattans. It was nice while it lasted!



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... and want to turn it into a type of "Hooters" restaurant. For those of you who do not know it, this is a chain of restaurants with big busted sexy women.Replace the middle consonant with a particular "hard consonant" and you've got the general picture - but then that's true of Pattaya generally

It will be a step in the right direction to see the parking jam at the top of Soi 15 go away. The road widening project came to a complete and and absolute stop at Mahattan's front door. Prehaps now they will not have the resources necessary to continue donations to the folks who have exercised their power to hold up the road widening construction.

[lonelywombat]

Well rumors are flying now aren't they? Tom the great manager is now gone. I hear that the owners have mentioned that Manhattans is too expensive a place, and too gay (???). This is NOT coming from Tom. Rumor has it that owners and manager saw disagreement on the fact that there were too many male gay employees, too many gay clientele and not enough straight customers. Rumor continues that Manhattans owners have something to do with a few

wonder if Tom saw these two things they wanted to change and had words and was terminated.
Can't reach him so I don't know for certain.

Bye Bye Manhattans. It was nice while it lasted!

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Rumours can often be fact and just as often prove to be wrong

I have recent experience of a restaurant manager and chef both being asked to leave for dishonesty.They justified the loss of employment on the owner not paying his staff and other petty issues. The owner agreed not to bring in the police if they resigned on the spot.

There are two sides to every story and to talk of a gay ban on a restaurant on rumours is childish

Bad service and poor food could be the result of having to replace senior staff with what is available. Sometimes that is not great. If they are unemployed it is usually for a reason Top chefs and managers are in very short supply.

Maybe rumour is correct Within a week things will become obvious or at least clearer

I have heard the same rumour from two reliable sources. If indeed it is true (and I suspect it may well be), I find it quite surprising that they were happy to enjoy revenue from gay residents of Pattaya, including a PGA dinner, during the low season, but are now eager to get rid of the poofs.

Well good on them -- Manhattan's is overpriced, and Mata Hari next door is a far better restaurant on all counts. May the Manhattan's wankers be plagued with Russians.

Having met Tom over the last few days and discussed everything at length, I can say the following:

Tom was fired by the owners of Manhattan even though he has established Manhattan's as one of Pattaya's best top end eatery, and has become very popular.
They told him that they wanted to take the restaurant in a different direction - with cheaper food and more of a laidback atmosphere - down with class, hello shorts and sandals brigade.

It seemed clear that the very straight owners do not like the gay clientele even though it made up 40-50%, and they found too many male staff in the restaurant unwelcome. Suprising that whether you go to the Royal Cliff, Mata Hari, Casa Pascal or any other top end restaurant and will always find more waiters than waitresses.

Of course the owners may be under the impression that by becoming more "straight" they will increase their business - just ask Louis at Mata Hari's or Jose at Au Bon Coin or any other good restaurant in town and see who the big spenders are.

Tom has said he hopes to remain in Thailand with some new work or venture. I for one always found him very welcoming at Manhattan's and he made all the right difference for the gay and straight clientele. Tom is one of very few in Pattaya with proper qualifications and experience to make any establishment in Pattaya or elsewhere successful.
The stupidity of the owners should become clear soon.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

"...a type of "Hooters" restaurant."..and really a first for Pattaya !! How unique. The owner must have a degree in business management from Harvard.

If he doesn't want the pink dollar-who are we to argue ?. It's not as though there isn't a fu**ing hundred thousand other restaurants out there willing to take it.!

I do hope it was nothing to do with my habit of wearing my diamante tiara with a leopard print business suit at lunchtime and Mrs O'Booze's insistence on wearing her safari suit and bull whip. We do look an odd couple but you couldn't really pick us as gay..could you ?

We do look an odd couple but you couldn't really pick us as gay..could you ?The recent picture George supplied of himself and long-time (30 years!) partner is presumably the sort of clientele they also don't want

Even though this is old news, I have just received another email from my dear friend Mr Tom, who was the American Manager who orchestrated to Whole project in the first place, for the very Star8 owners there.... I quote :-

"Dear TiT Bits.......I just heard that Manhattans is telling people that I have packed up and left Pattaya! An attempt to keep people from trying to find me, especially in any new venture I may undertake. I'd like to ask your help and see if you will do some postings on the forums that stop this rumor. I've already spoken to the owners and plan to meet with them next week to discuss many bad things that the Thai girlfriend of one of them is saying. She is an evil ---- and I've warned them to put a muzzle on her. Mr Tom" end of quote.. if you have any projects you want managed pm me I will put you in touch with Mr Tom.

Some people have quite rightly said 'Who Cares' and they will be still going there any ways, but the whole point of me originally putting this information onto the boards, is because the Manhattans Management just do not want only men at the tables, they want women and men, in there restaurant, so if your going with a lady {or like "'Sociopath', The Cat, no disrespect that is what he calls himself"}.... dressed as one, your be made welcome, if not, don't bother, go next door to Mata Hari, where your receive a warm welcome.