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Though the restaurant’s website still tells the story of Nakia Holmes (formerly Price) and Lyndell Price founding the Turkey Leg Hut after being inspired by fare at the Houston Rodeo, complete with a smiling photo of the couple, the court documents tell the story of an empire in disarray.
Nakia began using her maiden name Holmes following her divorce filing in May 2023, the Houston Chronicle reports. And in an Instagram post shared to a personal account from November 2023 that was reposted on X, Holmes accused Price of being “abusive emotionally and mentally.”
On Tuesday, February 6, Price posted and then deleted a letter of termination from Turkey Leg Hut to his Instagram account, with the caption, “I can’t make this shit up.” In the since-deleted post, a consultant, who had apparently been hired to help the company streamline its finances, tells Price in a letter that his employment is terminated effective immediately. The consultant notes that Price will not be allowed on the premises for any purpose in order to preserve the “safety and security of our staff and premises.” The letter asserts this is “consistent with standard procedures” following a firing.
Price also posted a screenshot of a person he purports to be Holmes removing himself and several others from an employee group chat. His Instagram profile bio still identifies him as co-owner and co-founder of the restaurant.
Holmes filed a request for a temporary restraining order in June 2023, the Houston Chronicle reports, alleging that Price had taken money and her car keys from the restaurant, and had committed “family violence.” Her lawyer, Alice Bonner, also alleged in an unsworn declaration that Bonner’s son, who was consulting for the restaurant, received a text from Price that threatened him and his mother.
Eater Dallas reached out to Holmes and Price for comment.
The Chronicle’s report marks the latest development in the troubled history of the Turkey Leg Hut, following 2021 allegations against Price of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. After a man, Daniel Webster, got into a verbal altercation with Holmes, he alleged Price struck him in the head with a gun. The alleged discord between the two men dates back to 2015, when Webster repossessed a van he sold to the then-couple around the time that Price went to prison for identity theft and his alleged participation in a tax return fraud.
In 2020, Holmes was sued by former minority owner in Turkey Leg Hut, Steven Rogers, for reportedly diverting funds away from the business and into other ventures as well as encouraging patrons to visit Turkey Leg Hut food trucks owned by another company Rogers had no investment in. Holmes filed a countersuit accusing Rogers of embezzlement and other allegations related to financial mismanagement.
This story will be updated as information becomes available.
