Nakia Holmes, the former owner of Houston’s now-closed Turkey Leg Hut, has spoken publicly for the first time since the restaurant shut its doors in late 2024. In an interview with Essence Magazine, Holmes opened up about some key moments in the restaurant’s rise and fall.
She started by reflecting on how she met and eventually married Lyndell “Lynn” Price, her business partner and the other half of the Turkey Leg Hut. Holmes also shared that she separated from Price in November 2023, citing physical and emotional abuse. According to Holmes, the Turkey Leg Hut began as a dream where she was running a fleet of barbecue trucks serving “savory turkey legs.” She and Price combined their funds to open their first pop-up stand across from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2016.
However, not long after the restaurant’s brick-and-mortar location opened, Price was convicted of being part of an IRS fraud scheme, resulting in a 48-month prison sentence. Holmes told Essence that this came as a huge shock to her, especially since it was something that happened before they even met. When Price returned to the business in 2018 after serving his time, Holmes said they began to clash over how the restaurant should be run.
Holmes also addressed the controversial dress code policy that the Turkey Leg Hut implemented in 2021, which faced backlash, with some critics calling it anti-Black. Holmes clarified that the idea came from Price, but noted that this kind of decision-making was a pattern for him: he’d make bold calls, they’d backfire, and she’d be left to handle the fallout.
Finally, Holmes touched on the lawsuits the restaurant faced near the end of its run, including one from US Foods, a supplier. She explained that the relationship with US Foods had been cordial, even continuing to provide products while the restaurant’s bills were overdue. But everything changed when Price got into a heated exchange with a US Foods representative, using expletives, which led to the 2022 lawsuit.
Holmes’ interview provides a candid look behind the scenes of the rise and fall of the once-popular Turkey Leg Hut.
