The restaurant industry is in deep pain right now and the future looks very uncertain. Dan spoke with Chris Shepherd, award winning chef and owner of four Houston restaurants that employed 200 people before the shutdown, to learn about the creative approaches his business has taken to weather the crisis. Chris explains the tough economics of running a restaurant, policy ideas that would help businesses like his survive the shutdown, and the most effective ways to support your local restaurants and their employees during this crisis.

Chris Shepherd’s charitable foundation ‘Southern Smoke’ has donated more than $2 million to those in the food and beverage industry in crisis and to the National MS Society. In 2014 he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southwest for his contributions to the incredibly diverse Houston culinary scene.