Houston restaurant advocating for better solutions to keep staff on payroll during COVID-19 pandemic

HOUSTON, Texas -- Backstreet Cafe is a Houston classic.

First opened 35 years ago in the Houston Heights, Backstreet Cafe is where James Beard award winner Hugo Ortega launched his career.

First hired as a dishwasher, Ortega eventually became a chef and married Backstreet Cafe owner Tracy Vaught.

Today, Backstreet Cafe is one of four restaurants run by the husband-wife team and their H-Town Restaurant Group. But COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges for the restaurant industry.

H-Town Restaurant Group has chosen to reopen some, but not all of its iconic restaurants. It is also advocating for better solutions for PPP, the Payroll Protection Program.