Richard Burk, who ran Pattaya’s Amor restaurant in Boyztown for many years, has died after suffering a heart attack at his north Pattaya condominium unit. British by birth but with strong French Canadian connections, Richard had suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes in recent years and was 70 years old.
He spent most of his working life in the hotel business and was food and beverage and accommodation manager in several Thai hotels. He jointly opened the Amor restaurant in Pattaya in 1993 but spent the last 10 years managing a succession of restaurants.
In late retirement, he found a job as a volunteer teacher of science in a Pattaya school and surprised both his Thai pupils and himself by his flair and enthusiasm. But his first love always remained the Amor restaurant, a subject which he brought up on every available social occasion.
Barry Kenyon, a former British embassy official who confirmed the death, said “Richard was a sincere and honest businessman and, in his heyday, ran a very successful restaurant before falling on hard times, financially speaking. But he always remained cheerful and took adversity very much in his stride.”