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Last week, Hurricane Beryl struck Houston, Texas and its surrounding areas, knocking out power for millions of people. Some of the hardest-hit Houstonians were those who rely upon CenterPoint Energy for electricity.

As of today, the company says it's returned power to 96% of people who suffered as a result of Beryl. However, many of those who currently have restored service went days on end without being able to access their air conditioning, keep their food cold, use wifi, etc. The complications were further compounded by some Houston residents reporting their cell phones also lost service.

CenterPoint stated on Tuesday that 100% of its customers should have power back by Friday, July 19. However, the company is in for a world of other problems. Restaurant owners across Houston are suing CenterPoint, accusing the company of negligence that hurt their livelihoods.

What to know about the class action lawsuit

Days on end without power forced restaurants to lose potentially tens of thousands of dollars in profit. In an economy already hit hard by inflation, financial losses of this magnitude can be devastating.

Riel Restaurant partner and chef Ryan Lachaine told the media his establishment went sans electricity for seven days. This put a damper not just on his own work, but also that of his 20 employees.

Luloo's owner Robin Wong had similar complaints. She revealed that running days on end without electricity is enough for the food from her walk-in orders to go bad.

Small business owners in Houston feel that enough is enough. Ultimately, their strongest criticisms are that CenterPoint Energy failed to adequately study the power grid and invest in infrastructure to prevent outages spanning 48 hours or longer.

These restaurant owners are now looking for accountability. In the weeks and months to come, Texans can expect more developments about the status of the class action lawsuit.

Texas governor isn't thrilled with CenterPoint Energy either

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged that CenterPoint's oversight of power restoration post-Hurricane Beryl leaves much to be desired.

Abbott's since determined that by the time July wraps up, the company needs to present a concrete action plan for future storms. In this action plan, the Texas governor expects to see CenterPoint's forward strategies for reducing power outages after storms, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.