Humble restaurant hiring Harvey flood victims

HUMBLE (KTRK) -- Georgia's Catfish Kitchen opened its doors in Humble this week, with a handful of staff to cook and serve customers. The owner Anthony Scott is also a cashier. His wife Audrey is a cook and they hired one employee for prep work.

Seven positions are yet to be filled and Scott is reserving them for restaurant workers who lost their jobs after Harvey, either because businesses were damaged or they were displaced to the Humble area because their homes were flooded.

"I said why not go out and find people affected by the storm to put them back in place so they can rebuild," he said.

Scott also owns another Georgia's in Baytown, where there are three more job openings.

The franchise specializes in seafood with a Cajun twist. It's a small restaurant, with counter service. In the kitchen, Audrey Scott makes roux from scratch and also prepares green beans according to her grandmother's recipe. The company behind Georgia's allows franchise holders to modify key menu items.

"I was told if my version of gumbo is more popular among customers, to do it," said Mrs Scott.

Both she and her husband agree on reserving some jobs for Harvey victims, who have some food industry experience or others just starting in the restaurant business.

Saturday, the first potential worker turned in his application. Scott hopes all the vacancies will be filled soon so the restaurant will be fully staffed, but he remains committed to helping people recover from the floods through employment.

"It's just a few jobs we're setting aside, but if every business would do that, the recovery would speed up. We really would be Houston Strong," he said.

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff