Ben Yeo closing Chinese restaurant at Dickson Road after 2 years due to 'heavy start-up costs', 'unforeseen circumstances'

In 2022, local actor Ben Yeo opened his fifth eatery, Tan Xiang Yuan, in a heritage building at 1 Dickson Road.

However, two years later, Yeo has made the difficult decision to close it.

"Unfortunately, due to the heavy start-up costs, a challenging economy, and unforeseen circumstances, we made the difficult decision to call it a day," he told Mothership.

Yeo previously shared that the 120-seater restaurant cost him and his four business partners about S$1 million to set up, most of which was spent on renovations.

According to Yeo, renovating the heritage building was "not easy" as there were many limitations to what they could do.

Unforeseen circumstances

Discussions on the possibility of closing the eatery started as early as nine months ago.

Yeo shared that one of the significant obstacles they faced in running the restaurant was investing heavily during the start-up phase.

"While we had done our calculations, unforeseen circumstances such as limited parking, strict heritage building rules and regulations, and even the weather posed difficulties," he said.

In addition, he noted that external factors, such as the economic downturn and an oversaturated food and beverage industry, made it more challenging to sustain operations.

"These were challenges that were beyond our control and ultimately impacted our ability to thrive."

Yeo shared that the staff was informed about the closure two months ago and were offered opportunities to join his three other Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat outlets.

He also shared that he "reached out to [his] network" to help them find opportunities at other restaurants.

Future plans

Reflecting on the whole experience, one thing that Yeo said he would do differently would be to lower the start-up costs.

"One of the reasons for the high costs was the location being a historical building, which required extensive renovations to meet inspection standards. I would also choose a location with better parking facilities to improve accessibility for customers," he explained.

Moving forward, Yeo still has three other Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant outlets at Kallang Place, Chai Chee Place and Woodlands Avenue.

There are also plans to open another Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant outlet in a new location.

Additionally, Yeo has hopes of bringing the delicacy of fish head steamboat overseas.

As for his acting career, Yeo has some projects lined up for his television show, "Ben Yeo's Kitchen".

"Thank you for all your support over the past two years. We hope you can join us for the final Chinese New Year at Tan Xiang Yuan... Your loyalty means the world to us."

Tan Xiang Yuan's last day of operations is Feb. 12.

Tan Xiang Yuan

Address: 1 Dickson Rd, S209493

Opening hours: Daily, 12pm to 2:30pm and 5:30 to 9:30pm

Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant

Address:

• 5 Kallang Pl, Singapore 339152
• 101 Woodlands Ave 12, #01-06 Polaris, Singapore 737719
• 510 Chai Chee Ln, Singapore 469027

Opening hours: Daily, 11am to 9:30pm

Top photos via Ben Yeo/Instagram & Google Maps