BANGKOK — A barbecue restaurant chain familiar to many Thais is Bar B Q Plaza, now 38 years old and long a favorite among barbecue lovers. The iconic brass pan and mascot “Bar B Gon,” a green dragon, have become indelible images for consumers.
Rath Trakultai, Chief Marketing Officer of Food Passion Co., Ltd., shared with Prachachat Business how Bar B Q Plaza continues to win customers’ hearts.
From Insight to Marketing
Bar B Q Plaza currently operates 157 branches nationwide. Recently, the company has introduced new formats to accommodate changing behaviors, including later closing times in some stores and single-seating zones to capitalize on the solo dining trend.
The brand now has over 3.4 million “Gon Gang” members, representing around 90% of its customer base—a huge reservoir of data for marketing. But understanding new trends and lifestyles remains equally important.
One widely noticed change is meal timing: Traditional meal times are disappearing as people eat across longer time slots. This has created opportunities for late-night service. Today, 12 stores stay open late, some closing at 2:00 a.m. and others at 5:00 a.m.
Another shift in urban lifestyles after COVID is greater flexibility. People linger longer at mealtimes and dine alone more often. In response, Bar B Q Plaza introduced a new concept at Central Park shopping center in early September, offering tables and zones for solo diners.
Store staff also contribute importantly to marketing. They serve as both the voice of the brand to customers and a mirror reflecting customers’ needs back to the company.
Buffet Where Everyone Can Enjoy
Buffet promotions at Bar B Q Plaza are always crowd-pullers, typically running twice a year.
Rath notes that children and seniors are often excluded from buffets because restaurants feel it’s “not worth it.” Since the brand wants every meal—regular or buffet—to remain a family event, it created the GON Buffet with special prices for children and older adults so everyone can participate.
Keeping the Family Picture Together
Beyond annual buffet promotions, Bar B Q Plaza has introduced buffets in its late-closing branches. Since fixed meal times no longer exist, extending dining hours made sense. During the day and early evening, branches serve regular menus, but from 9:00 p.m. until closing, buffets are available.
An interesting figure: in late-closing restaurants, around 20% of total daily revenue—one in five baht—comes after 9:00 p.m.
Rath adds that buffets at Bar B Q Plaza maintain the same quality of service and ingredients as regular hours, even though food costs are higher and staff must serve more frequently. For this reason, buffets are introduced only as campaign promotions rather than as a separate brand, ensuring consistent quality that meets customer expectations.
Turning Small Things Special
Bar B Q Plaza is undeniably one of the best-known barbecue brands among Thai consumers. The crucial question: what keeps the brand on top year after year?
Beyond expectations of quality ingredients and service, the company creates “extraordinarily ordinary” experiences by making small details special. For example, free cabbage refills: staff are trained to notice when customers need more and bring it without being asked. This not only improves service but also deepens employees’ understanding of customer needs.
Another important element is Bar B Gon, the brand’s long-standing mascot and key marketing weapon. Bar B Gon is treated like a real employee, serving as a bridge between the company and its customers, supported by more than 4,000 employees behind the scenes.
“If we were a piece of wood, the core would remain the same. We still believe in creating special experiences. But the bark on the outside has to move with the times,” says Rath.
“Bar B Gon” The Connector
Bar B Gon has long been a brand icon and one of Thailand’s most successful mascots.
Rath explains that mascots need clear personalities to succeed. He treats Bar B Gon like a person: “When you bring him to events, it feels like bringing your son on stage to receive an award. When you see him like this, you have a responsibility to teach him about the modern world, listen to customers, and adapt to new trends to keep him relevant to Generation Now across all age groups.”
Bar B Gon bridges customers and the company by relaying customer voices to management and communicating company messages to the public. Importantly, he listens to all feedback, not just positive comments.
Beyond being an icon and friend, Bar B Gon has collaborated with lifestyle brands in fashion, snacks, and even gaming. Rath explains that the only way to let the mascot “grow up” is by meeting new friends—experts in different fields—and learning about new lifestyles through partnerships.
When asked what makes a successful mascot, Rath mentions two principles: seeing them as a real person and being a sincere representative of both customer and brand, maintaining honesty on both sides.
Looking ahead, Bar B Gon will continue growing with the brand and building its own community. The challenge is connecting online and offline worlds while ensuring Bar B Gon remains a friend everywhere, always.
“I want Bar B Gon to become part of every household’s lifestyle. The new ‘Mini Friends of Gon’ figurines, for example, are not just collectibles but memorabilia linked to shared dining experiences. They are not just display pieces, but shared memories that live in every home,” says Rath.
To Win Is to Play a Long Game
“Price wars” are now commonplace in the hospitality industry, with many brands relying on pricing strategies to attract customers. Rath admits price plays a role but emphasizes thinking long-term. Price is just one element of the 4Ps/6Ps of competition. Bar B Q Plaza focuses instead on changing consumer behavior and transforming trends into new models under the same brand umbrella.
In recent years, many new restaurants have emerged, often made famous by hype rather than longstanding trust and customer confidence.
Rath reflects: “The first thing you need to do is look inwards. Are you really committed to the cause? Do you have the skills and knowledge to do it well? Or are you just doing it because your friends are?”
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