After Its Closure, Former El Real Employees Plan More Protests Demanding Unpaid Wages - Eater Houston

"Montrose Tex-Mex restaurant El Real was announced closed. Former employees protested for unpaid wages. A GoFundMe account is raising funds for those impacted by the sudden closure. Several former workers alleged bounced paychecks and missed payments leading up to the restaurant's shutdown. Some incurred fees from their banks due to bounced checks, others were owed hundreds of dollars, and the restaurant couldn't pay vendors for key ingredients like tomatoes. Former El Real employee Evelyn Barrios addressed the Houston City Council about the unpaid wages. Owner Bryan Caswell provided conflicting statements about the payments, initially denying issues, then promising to pay by the end of the week. Affected employees can also seek assistance from chef Chris Shepherd’s Southern Smoke Foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund." - Amy McCarthy