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 - and is also advocating for better solutions for PPP, the Payroll Protection Program.