North Hollywood's soul food eatery BlaqHaus reinvents itself to stay afloat during pandemic

LOS ANGELES - BlaqHaus serves irresistible soul food in North Hollywood and its owner is doing everything she can to offer affordable prices while keeping its doors open amid the pandemic and rolled back reopening guidelines.

Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered for indoor dining to reclose in multiple sectors, including restaurants for at least three weeks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus as the state continues to experience a spike in cases.

"I call it restaurant ping pong. We have been trying to stay creative with all the rules and changes and make sure we have affordable options for the community," said BlaqHaus owner Takela Corbitt.

To adjust, BlaqHaus has had to constantly reinvent itself. The restaurant was forced to shut down for a month in March and quickly transitioned to offering takeout and delivery service.

Once guidelines were eased, BlaqHaus, which has been open for a year, looked forward to offering dine-in services for customers again.

"We were excited to bring some of our staff back and give jobs back when we were up and running and then just last Wednesday they changed things again and now we have to figure out how to shift backwards," she said.

Tuesday marks Blackout Day. The social media movement is urging people to not spend at all or to only purchase from black-owned businesses.

The staff at BlaqHaus says the community support has been great and they also continue to give back by providing free food to area residents when they can.