Mr. Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, Director-General of the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce, revealed that the restaurant business is one of Thailand's rising stars and continues to grow. According to the department's data, there are 26,040 registered restaurant businesses, representing a crucial mechanism for driving the country's economy. This collaboration with Makro combines the power of the public and private sectors to provide Thai restaurant entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, and tools to compete professionally. This includes aspects such as cost management, inventory management, technology utilization, and online marketing to drive sales growth – key challenges for restaurants in today's market. The Department of Business Development and Chef's Club by Makro have jointly organized the "Smart Restaurant Plus" workshop for 11 consecutive years, benefiting over 1,500 restaurants. For 2026, sessions 12-15 are scheduled in four regions: Northeast (January 22-23, 2026, Udon Thani), South (February 26-27, 2026, Nakhon Si Thammarat), North (March 30-31, 2026, Chiang Rai), and Central (April 28-29, 2026, Chonburi).

"Smart Restaurant Plus" is a highly popular course among restaurant owners because it is designed to meet the needs of restaurant operators ranging from small businesses to those looking to expand. It covers modern restaurant management, ingredient management, menu value addition, food cost calculation, generating sales through social media, and effective team management. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with experts in various fields, such as Mr. Rachit Chairat, an accounting and tax expert and CEO of Accounting Transformation Co., Ltd.; Mr. Kunapong Techavaraprasert, a marketing and restaurant promotion expert and owner of the "Sell Well Together" Facebook page; Mr. Pornchai Nitmethawong, Co-Founder of the "True Friends of Restaurants" Facebook page; Chef Pattanant Thongthong, Executive Chef of Aim Phuket Restaurant, coach of the Thai cooking competition team, food consultant, and restaurant business consultant; and Chef Wilment Leong, Asia Regional Director of the World Association of Chefs. They will share their knowledge and experience, revealing secrets and techniques for professional restaurant financial management, in-depth digital marketing strategies to boost sales and expand customer bases, people management (customers, employees, and oneself), systematic kitchen management, organized ingredient management, efficient work, increased profitability, and profit growth without increasing workload, addressing restaurant needs with RTE & RTC (Ready-to-Eat & Ready-to-Cook) solutions.

“Despite fierce competition, the Thai restaurant business still has high growth potential. Restaurants that are ready to adapt are those ready to grow. We invite restaurant owners nationwide to apply for this training to strengthen their businesses, increase trade opportunities, and further develop their businesses.” "Continuing the sustainability process," said Director-General Poonpong. Restaurant owners interested in participating in the first training session in Udon Thani Province can apply from now until January 7, 2026. The list of selected participants will be available on January 9, 2026. For more information, please contact the Service Business Division, Department of Business Development, at 0 2547 5985, hotline 1570, and www.dbd.go.th.

Go To Lead