Ben Yeo shuts all 6 sliced fish soup stalls after 5-figure loss, opens affordable zi char spot in Yishun

Ben Yeo, a Mediacorp actor-host and F&B entrepreneur, has shut down all six outlets of his Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup business after incurring a mid-five-figure loss. The rapid expansion, which saw six stalls open in under a year, ultimately failed to meet Yeo's expectations.

“

We gave ourselves one year to see results. If it’s not successful, just cut losses.

Yeo told 8days.sg that the decision to close the stalls was driven by the business's financial performance. "If it's not successful, just cut losses," he stated, emphasizing that a business must be profitable. While some individual stalls made money, the overall venture resulted in a significant loss, prompting Yeo to re-evaluate his food and beverage strategy.

“

Doing business is all about making money. Even if you break even every month, or you make pennies, it’s not a good business.

Despite this setback, Yeo remains active in the F&B industry. He has launched a new venture, 20 Dishes Only, an "old-school neighbourhood zi char" stall located in a Yishun coffeeshop. This new concept offers a focused menu of 20 "all-time favourite" dishes, with prices ranging from S$6.80 to S$15, aiming for affordability and accessibility.

“

For the Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat, we opened one outlet first, made sure the business was stable, then opened the second and eventually the third. But for the fish soup stalls, we thought because it required a smaller investment, we could open several at one go so more people would see the brand. We were following a strategy that worked for some successful brands in the past. Looking back, I don't think that works anymore.