At the start of a new year, it’s tempting for hotel owners and operators to double down on plans already set in motion. A wave of new concepts, new revenue streams, and new “must-have” offerings.
But sometimes the most valuable lesson in hospitality doesn’t come from pushing harder — it comes from paying closer attention.
A story I recently came across on LinkedIn illustrates this perfectly.
In 2014, Irvin Gunawan was trying to save a restaurant.
It wasn’t his first attempt. A previous concept had already failed and closed within two years. This time, he was running a zi char seafood restaurant in Singapore’s River Valley, known for one hero dish: salted egg crab.
The restaurant was performing decently — until the landlord raised the rent by nearly 50%.
Forced to relocate, Irvin suddenly found himself in a far worse position. Foot traffic dropped sharply. Revenues declined. The restaurant was bleeding cash.
Out of necessity, Irvin and his chef began experimenting. They created a range of salted egg dishes — chicken, tofu, enoki mushrooms — and a couple of small snacks: salted egg fish skin and salted egg potato chips.
These were never meant to be the product.
They were simply side dishes. Something customers could nibble on while waiting for the crab.
Then something unexpected happened.
Customers started showing up only for the snacks.
Not the crab.
Not the seafood.
The side dishes.
Sales multiplied five to six times. Lines began forming — not for tables, but for takeaway bags of fish skin and chips.
Eventually, Irvin made a radical decision. He shut the restaurant entirely and opened a retail store instead.
Today, IRVINS is present in more than 20 countries. The brand is sold through Costco in the United States and Don Don Donki in Japan, with global collaborations and a cult-like following.
A snack empire — born from a side dish that was never meant to matter.
Highlights
The Signal Hidden in Plain Sight
This story has stayed with me because it reflects a pattern I see repeatedly in the hotel industry — particularly across Asia.
Too often, we force products into existence because we believe we should have them.
Mooncakes without a Chinese restaurant.
Afternoon tea because competitors offer it.
Festive hampers that look impressive in marketing decks but struggle to sell.
Retail corners stocked with items no guest ever asked for.
These products are often designed around tradition, internal expectations, or competitive imitation — rather than actual guest behaviour.
In doing so, we overlook the signals that matter most.
Irvin didn’t build a snack empire through strategy workshops or brand consultants. He simply noticed where demand was forming — and followed it, even when it meant abandoning the original business model.
Hotels, by contrast, are often reluctant to do the same.
The Cost of Ignoring What Guests Are Telling You
In asset-heavy industries like hospitality, product decisions carry long-term consequences.
Capex is deployed. Space is allocated. Teams are built. Once those commitments are made, changing direction becomes politically and financially difficult.
So we keep pushing.
Rooms are pushed when guests are actually asking for experiences.
Traditional F&B outlets are prioritised even as guests increasingly prefer convenience, informality, or delivery.
At the same time, new concepts are launched while the smaller details that drive loyalty and spending are often overlooked.
The result is often the same — underperforming outlets, diluted brand positioning, and frustrated owners wondering why returns never quite match expectations.
The issue is not always execution.
More often, it’s a focus.
When the “Side Project” Is Actually the Product
One of the hardest realities for hotel owners and operators to accept is that the product they are most proud of may not be the one the market values most.
The opportunity is frequently already there — embedded in guest behaviour, purchasing patterns, and operational data. But it sits on the periphery, dismissed as incremental or non-core.
Just as IRVINS’ snacks were never meant to be the hero, many hotel revenue opportunities begin as “secondary” ideas:
- A room type guests consistently request
- A signature item guests photograph and share
- A service detail that drives disproportionate satisfaction
- A space that guests naturally gravitate toward
The difference between success and stagnation often comes down to whether leadership is willing to notice — and act.
Listening May Be Hospitality’s Most Undervalued Advantage
As hotels across Asia look ahead to the year, perhaps the more useful question is not: What new product should we launch?
But rather: What are guests already telling us through their behaviour that we are choosing not to hear?
Sometimes the side dish really is the main course.
And sometimes the most profitable decision is to stop forcing the menu — and start following demand.
In hospitality, listening remains one of the most undervalued competitive advantages we have.
Highlights
Read the Chinese article here.
