vote 86ed ... for now

Houston City Council tables controversial Pappas Restaurants-Hobby Airport vote

Photo by Julia Casbarian

Houston City Council tabled the crucial vote that will determine that fate of Pappas Restaurants at Hobby Airport on Wednesday, March 1. By rule, that "tag" from City Council means the vote will take place next week.

City Council Member Abbie Kamin (District C) tagged the vote; three yes votes were not present at council on Wednesday, City of Houston sources tell CultureMap.

"I tagged the item, along with Council Member Gallegos, to allow more time for consideration to ensure this item isn't rushed," Kamin tells CultureMap via email. "There were multiple Council Members absent today, and it is important that they are able to vote on this item as well."

That means a wait for the longtime and beloved Houston family restaurant empire as a proposed concessions contract would end the Pappas' 20-year run at Hobby.

As CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler previously reported, the 10-year, $470 million dollar deal is with Areas, a subsidiary of the Spain-based Areas SAU, which operates concessions in more than 80 airports worldwide and nine in the United States.

Pappas' potential end doesn't mean an end to local restaurants at Hobby. The proposed deal would see restaurants such as Killen’s Barbecue, SpindleTap Brewery, Thoroughgood Coffee, and Galveston’s The Spot coming to the airport, — as well as national chains such as Raising Cane’s and Longhorn Steakhouse.

Eliciting public support, Pappas Restaurants launched a social media campaign — dubbed #SaveOurPappas — calling on supporters to urge Houston City Council to reject the controversial contract.

Christina Pappas or Pappas Restaurant told Sandler that the company has concerns about how city scored the bids to determine the winner. The company’s proposal includes many of its popular restaurants, including Pappasito’s, Pappas Burger, Pappadeaux, and Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse. It also includes local bakery the Original Kolache Shoppe and Chick-fil-A.

“We’re asking for transparency. We’re asking to look at the score cards,” she said. “We’re asking to see what the numbers look like. We’re asking why one of the RFPs was abruptly canceled. We’re asking that council is provided with all the information they need to make the decision that’s best for the City of Houston.”

The city has declined requests to release the scoring sheets, the Chronicle reports.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and Pappas went back and forth on Tuesday, February 28 over the deal — and even food-related semantics — CultureMap news partner ABC13 reports.

"The structure of the rent that the city is asking is different. It is not apples to apples, sir. It is not apples to apples, so if you're trying to make it apples to apples, our current contract versus what's in the bid, they're not made the same way. It's an apple and an orange," Pappas said to Turner.

"No, it's not," Turner responded. "I know apples and apples, and I know apples and oranges, and I know oranges and oranges," Turner responded. "But since you are criticizing the numbers, and you are here, let's deal with them."

Now, it seems City Council will deal with the apples and oranges involved with this crucial vote next week.

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Eric Sandler contributed to this article.

income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family

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income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home