HOUSTON (AP) — It was still before 11:30, but a steady stream of office workers in starched shirts lined up at Peli Peli Kitchen, a fast-casual South African restaurant in the heart of the Energy Corridor.

The Houston Chronicle reports the heavy lunch traffic was a relief for the owner, Thomas Nguyen, whose 8-year-old business barely survived a two-year oil downturn that torpedoed the corporate events of nearby energy companies, a major source of revenue for Peli Peli. All around him, Nguyen recalled, restaurants were closing.

"That almost destroyed us," Nguyen said. "I don't think we're out o...