Entrepreneur invests in community on a wing and a prayer
By Mary An
Braving an uncertain future for business in the pandemic, this August, Inder Singh took the bold step of opening a restaurant across from Spadina Station.
Singh is now a proud franchisee of a Wild Wing where many different varieties of chicken wings and other spreads are available from morning until night.
“We have to adapt to this new normal now, we can’t just sit back and rely on the government to do everything for us,” said Singh, in an interview with the Annex Gleaner.
Before Singh opened his restaurant in the Annex neighbourhood, the previous proprietor was evicted due to unpaid rent.
Knowing the potential risks, Singh still took the chance of opening his restaurant.
“Even if I don’t make money, at least I’m creating jobs for my employees and at least they have something to bring home to put food on their table,” he says.
Singh opened a Wild Wings restaurant in Kitchener with his brother-in-law before opening a second location in Toronto.
The pandemic forced him to make cuts to his Kitchener restaurant, but he chose to open the Toronto location to assist employees who would have otherwise lost their jobs.
“Because of COVID, business was slow. He had the option to lay me off, but instead, moved me to Toronto,” says Hardeep Singh, Manager of the Annex location of Wild Wings.
“It’s like a family here. Inder is a nice guy and is very supportive,” says Hardeep.
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