Patong restaurant owner reports B700 in takings as Israeli customers decline

A Patong restaurant owner said her takings fell to B700 on 10 September as she reported a sharp decline in Israeli customers ahead of a Jewish New Year event.

The woman, identified by Dailynews only as A, runs the restaurant with an Israeli partner. She said Israelis had previously been among Phuket’s biggest spenders, but that the street was now quiet. She called for clarity from the authorities.

The Rosh Hashanah festival at Chabad Patong was scheduled for 11 September 2026. Organisers initially told police they expected 600 guests at Chabad Patong and 400 at the Novotel Patong, according to reports cited by MGR Online and the Chiang Rai Times. The plan was later changed to an event at Chabad Patong alone, capped at 800 guests and ending at 9pm rather than midnight.

Phuket police planned to deploy 50 officers, including 30 from Patong police station and 20 from the provincial investigation division. Checkpoints were also planned at both ends of the soi, Phuket police commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum told MGR Online.

Pol Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, acting Region 8 police commander, said police in areas with Chabad centres had been ordered to activate security plans, enforce the law and gather intelligence in case outsiders attempted to cause trouble. He said the measures were intended to maintain order amid current social tensions, and that nothing unusual had been found so far.