In the latest twist to the Turkey Leg Hut saga, former co-owner Lynn Price helped set up an oyster-themed pop-up concept restaurant across the street from the Houston eatery that unceremoniously fired him a few months ago.
As the Houston Chronicle reports, Price heavily promoted Tiger2Dozen on his social media accounts on March 2 while he assisted the shop and its owner, Royal “Tiger” Bellock, in selling its New Orleans-style char-grilled oysters.
Price met Bellock a few weeks ago, and he was so impressed with his set-up that he invited him to Houston.
Bellock, who operates the business with his fiancée, Jacquel Johnson, started grilling oysters in New Orleans in 2019 with one grill before eventually graduating to a trailer.
Price told the Chronicle that their set-up is unique in Houston’s culinary scene and praised the taste of Tiger2Dozen’s oysters. “We’re here hustling,” Price said. “I know good food, and I know how to make money. You can taste New Orleans in these oysters.”
Customers who showed up, meanwhile, attributed their presence to Price’s promotion of Tiger2Dozen. Nikki Harris told the Chronicle,
“These are fire, but never waited this long for oysters,” Harris said. “I don’t know if we’d be here if it wasn’t for Lynn telling everyone.”Others were curious about Price’s standing with Turkey Leg Hut. Some, like Janelle Williams, asked him directly, but Williams only received a smile in response. “I can’t tell if he’s still with Turkey Leg,” said Williams, who ate an order of crawfish from Turkey Leg Hut in the parking lot.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Turkey Leg Hut has been engulfed in several scandals over the past few months, most recently financial problems, which Price’s estranged wife, Nakia Holmes, insinuated in a statement was caused at least in part by his actioins.
Although Price allegedly can’t set foot in Turkey Leg Hut as a condition of his expulsion from the company, the tent Tiger2Dozen used the weekend of March 3 was Turkey Leg Hut branded and featured an image of Price and Holmes on it. This, along with him shuffling from the pop-up to Turkey Leg Hut, seemed to create confusion around Price’s standing with the company.
Bellock told the Chronicle that he wants to bring his trailer to accommodate more customers as well as his burgers the next time he comes to Houston. “I’m not surprised so many people showed up,” Johnson said, “but it’s still amazing.”
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