© Jason Viau/CBC Wade Griffith, left, and Christian Pinard, right, are co-owners of Endeavor Hospitality Group, which formed last week and merged four downtown establishments. COVID-19 restrictions have "decimated" parts of the service industry but two downtown business owners have found a creative way to retain staff, cut costs and save a struggling bar — merge. They're able to save money by having better buying power, streamlining costs, combining operating systems and can shift staff fluidly, according to Wade Griffith, co-owner of the newly formed Endeavor Hospitality Group. "Through the pandemic we kind of figured out, we're not going to make it alone," said Griffith. The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce estimates one in six small and medium-sized business will close permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: CBC News January 10, 2022 15:04 UTC