If it's not successful, just cut losses.
In mid-2026, Mediacorp actor and restaurateur Ben Yeo quietly closed all six of his Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup stalls across Singapore, absorbing a mid-five-figure loss after an aggressive expansion strategy proved unsustainable. The episode is a familiar one in the long human story of ambition outpacing discipline — of mistaking speed for strength. Rather than withdrawing, Yeo has returned to first principles, opening a deliberately modest zi char concept called 20 Dishes Only, built on the belief that constraint, not scale, is the more durable foundation.
- Six stalls opened across Singapore's busiest neighbourhoods in 2025 burned through a mid-five-figure loss within a year, even as some individual outlets turned a profit.
- Yeo identified the core failure as a break from his own proven method — the disciplined, one-location-at-a-time growth that had made his Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat operation stable.
- Rather than waiting for losses to deepen, he set a one-year deadline, let the numbers speak, and closed every stall — a cold but clear-eyed act of triage.
- His new venture, 20 Dishes Only, opened in Yishun in July 2026 with a menu capped at 20 home-style zi char dishes, most priced under S$10, designed for solo diners and couples in Singapore's shrinking households.
- The limited-menu model is both a philosophical correction and a practical one — fewer ingredients, less waste, lower labour complexity, and sustainable margins without sacrificing affordability.
Ben Yeo made a clean decision in mid-2026: close all six of his fish soup stalls, absorb the loss, and move on. The 47-year-old Mediacorp actor and restaurateur had given himself one year to prove the concept. The numbers didn't cooperate. A mid-five-figure sum had been spent. The stalls were shut.
The venture had begun modestly in September 2023 with a single Toa Payoh coffeeshop stall — a spinoff from his established Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant. That first location closed after nine months, but customer interest remained. In 2025, Yeo scaled fast, opening six stalls in quick succession at Orchard Towers, Clementi, Ang Mo Kio, and other high-traffic spots. The logic seemed sound: lower investment per unit, faster visibility, more revenue streams. It didn't hold.
"Some outlets made money, some didn't," he told 8days.sg. "But overall, we lost a mid-five-figure sum." His diagnosis was precise: with his steamboat business, he had grown one location at a time, proving stability before expanding. With the fish soup stalls, he abandoned that discipline, assuming smaller investment meant lower risk. "Looking back, I don't think that works anymore," he said.
But Yeo wasn't leaving the industry. He already ran three Charcoal Fish Head outlets, a Thai restaurant, and two coffeeshops. In early July 2026, he added 20 Dishes Only — a neighbourhood zi char stall in a Yishun coffeeshop, serving exactly twenty home-style dishes. Steamed minced pork with salted egg for S$7.80. Hand-pulled sweet and sour pork for S$8.80. Only four dishes priced above S$10. His personal favourite, the Yin Yang Hor Fun — crispy and silky versions of the noodle combined on one plate — went for S$6.50.
The constraint was deliberate. Fewer dishes meant fewer ingredients to source, less food waste, and lower labour complexity. Every dish came in a single portion size, suited to Singapore's growing number of solo diners and couples. "When we were young, neighbourhood zi char stalls didn't have huge menus," Yeo said. "They only served a handful of dishes, but they were the dishes everyone loved."
The fish soup chapter was data, not defeat. Yeo had listened to what the market said, adjusted his understanding, and built the next thing on clearer ground.
Ben Yeo, a Mediacorp actor and restaurateur, made a calculated decision in the middle of 2026: he would close every one of his fish soup stalls. All six of them. The venture that had seemed so promising just months earlier—a rapid-fire expansion across Singapore's busiest neighbourhoods—had instead burned through a mid-five-figure loss. The 47-year-old entrepreneur didn't dwell on the failure. Instead, he was already moving forward with something new.
The fish soup concept had started modestly enough in September 2023, when Yeo opened a single stall in a Toa Payoh coffeeshop as a spinoff from his existing Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant. That first location closed after nine months, but the idea had legs. Customers liked it. So in 2025, Yeo decided to scale aggressively. He opened six stalls in rapid succession—Orchard Towers, Clementi, Ang Mo Kio, and other high-traffic locations. The logic was straightforward: smaller investment per unit, faster brand visibility, more revenue streams. It was a playbook that had worked for other successful restaurant groups. It did not work for him.
"Some outlets made money, some didn't. But overall, we lost a mid-five-figure sum," Yeo told 8days.sg. He had given himself one year to prove the concept. When the numbers didn't add up, he cut his losses. "Doing business is all about making money," he said flatly. "Even if you break even every month, or you make pennies, it's not a good business." The fish soup stalls closed. The dish itself remained available at his zi char outlets in Kallang and Chai Chee, but the standalone expansion was over.
Yeo's diagnosis of what went wrong was precise. With his Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat operation, he had grown methodically—one location, prove stability, then the next. With the fish soup venture, he had abandoned that discipline. "We thought because it required a smaller investment, we could open several at one go," he explained. "Looking back, I don't think that works anymore." The market had changed. Speed alone was no longer an advantage.
But Yeo wasn't retreating from the restaurant business. Instead, he was diversifying. He already owned three Charcoal Fish Head outlets, a Thai restaurant called Benkok13, and two coffeeshops. Now he was adding something different: 20 Dishes Only, which opened in a Yishun coffeeshop earlier in July. The concept was deliberately modest—an old-school neighbourhood zi char stall serving exactly what its name promised. Steamed minced pork with salted egg for S$7.80. Hand-pulled sweet and sour pork for S$8.80. Steamed fish head for S$15. Only four dishes cost more than S$10. The menu was designed for everyday eating, not special occasions or large groups.
The constraint was intentional. A limited menu meant fewer ingredients to source, less food waste, lower labour complexity. It also made the customer's choice easier—a psychological advantage in an era of decision fatigue. Yeo had learned this lesson from running Benkok13. "When we were young, neighbourhood zi char stalls didn't have huge menus," he said. "They only served a handful of dishes, but they were the dishes everyone loved." Every dish came in a single portion size, suited to Singapore's shrinking households of couples and individuals living alone. A person could order one or two plates with rice and feel satisfied without the guilt of over-ordering.
"We wanted to give customers good food at value-for-money prices," Yeo said. In a market where ingredient costs and labour had become punishing, the math was simple: fewer dishes meant lower overhead, which meant sustainable margins even at affordable prices. The Yin Yang Hor Fun—his personal favourite, combining crispy fried hor fun with silky gravy hor fun on one plate—cost S$6.50. It was the kind of dish that could anchor a meal.
Yeo's willingness to shut down the fish soup venture and pivot suggested something about how he thought about failure. It wasn't a moral failing or a reason to retreat. It was data. The market had spoken. He had listened. Now he was moving to the next thing, armed with a clearer understanding of what worked and what didn't. Whether 20 Dishes Only would succeed remained to be seen, but the approach itself—small menu, affordable prices, neighbourhood positioning—was built on lessons learned from both his successes and his mistakes.
Citações Notáveis
Some outlets made money, some didn't. But overall, we lost a mid-five-figure sum. Doing business is all about making money. Even if you break even every month, or you make pennies, it's not a good business.— Ben Yeo
We thought because it required a smaller investment, we could open several at one go. Looking back, I don't think that works anymore.— Ben Yeo
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did you decide to close all six stalls at once instead of shutting them down gradually?
Once we saw the overall picture—that we were losing money despite some outlets doing okay—there was no point in prolonging it. You have to make a clean decision. Keeping them open would just bleed more capital.
Do you think the fish soup concept itself was flawed, or was it the execution?
The execution. The concept worked at the Kallang and Chai Chee locations. The problem was we tried to do too much too fast. We didn't test the market properly before rolling out six stalls. That's on me.
What made you confident enough to open a new restaurant so quickly after losing money?
Because I learned something concrete from the failure. I now know that aggressive expansion doesn't work the way it used to. So I'm applying that lesson to 20 Dishes Only by starting with one location and keeping things simple.
Why exactly 20 dishes? Why not 15 or 30?
Twenty felt like the right balance. Enough variety that people don't get bored, but small enough that we can manage costs, reduce waste, and keep quality consistent. It's also the number that lets us serve good food at prices people can actually afford.
You already own multiple restaurant brands. Why keep expanding instead of just focusing on what works?
Because trends move too fast now. You can't depend on just one brand anymore. If one concept becomes less popular, you need others to fall back on. Diversification is survival.
What would you tell other restaurant owners who are thinking about rapid expansion?
Test one location thoroughly first. Make sure the unit economics work. Make sure your team can handle it. Then expand. Don't assume that what worked for someone else will work for you in the current market.