Ben Yeo shutters Chinese restaurant Tan Xiang Yuan after suffering huge losses

Local actor-host Ben Yeo will be closing his Chinese restaurant Tan Xiang Yuan after two years of operation.

The 46-year-old said that the business, which is located in a two-storey conservation house at Little India and a joint venture with chef Cao Yong and other partners, will shutter on the last day of Chinese New Year on Feb 12.

He told 8days that they had invested about $1 million into starting the business, with around $800,000 spent on renovations.

In a Lianhe Zaobao report published on Jan 3, Ben said they didn't expect the hefty renovation costs, adding: "But because the building is very old, there are many regulations to comply with. Some of the renovations did not pass the regulations, so we had to do it again, which cost a lot of money.

"There were many unexpected expenses, but we had already started so we couldn't stop. This is the biggest reason that the business failed, and we also learned from it."

At one point, the losses amounted to $1 million, he said.

Ben also shared that he would miss the restaurant staff the most after it closes.

He said: "They are very good and I want to keep them, but operating a restaurant is different from that of a zi char stall (his Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat business). I tried my best to help them look for vacancies in other F&B businesses. They even told me not to worry as they can do it themselves… I felt regretful towards my staff."

They had initially intended to cease operations on Dec 31, but delayed till the last day of Chinese New Year due to the well-received responses to and reservations for their festive menu, which was launched in November.

"Since diners are so supportive of us, we'll celebrate the holiday with our loyal customers there for the last time," Ben added.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com