A popular cocktail bar in Thonglor announced today that it’s saying goodbye for good. 

 

Earlier this afternoon, Backstage Bar announced it will not reopen, unlike some of its peers had done recently, and instead keep its curtains closed forever. 

 

 

The theater-themed bar, then named Behind the Scene Lounge, opened in 2014 at Thonglor’s Playhaus boutique hotel.

 

Six of Bangkok’s leading bartenders—Ronnaporn “Nueng” Kanivichaporn, Kitibordee “Gov” Chortubtim, Supawit “Palm” Muttarattana, Anakin “Ton” Wongsala, Watcharapong “Bank” Suriyaphan, and Chennarong “Janz” Bhumichitr—converted the hotel’s ground floor into a small but always exciting spot, where the motto was, “Nothing is serious behind the curtain, except for the cocktails.”

 

“Without any support from the government and the money we were throwing away each month, we realized it’s about time to close the curtain,” Nueng told BK. 

 

Like many others operating in the nightlife sector, Nueng said that heavy-handed government restrictions took a huge toll on their business. 

 

Though the booze curfew has been partially lifted, allowing restaurants and some bars registered as restaurants to serve alcohol until 11pm as of Dec 1, places like Backstage Bar are still barred from operating normally. 

 

“Even though Backstage is just a small bar with a 30-person capacity, we cannot serve drinks because they [Thai authorities] do not provide a license that differentiates us from large night clubs, which they believe to be the source of Covid-19 outbreaks,” said Nueng. 

 

When asked about their future plans, Nueng said that the group of six might separate and focus on their individual projects. His new bar, he said, involves a collaboration with chef Chalee Kader of 100 Mahaseth and Wana Yook, and it might open in December.

 

“[And] since now we know what to expect, we’ll register our new bar with a restaurant license,” he added.