If it’s not one thing it’s another.
Popular Black-owned eatery, The Turkey Leg Hut, is being sued by local residents amidst the Third Ward area’s growing gentrification.
On November 20, a lawsuit was filed in the Harris County District Court claiming that the restaurant was producing a “noxious thick wood smoke filled with harmful particulates that engulf and enter Plaintiffs’ homes.”
Judge Cory Sepolio issued a temporary order that prevents Turkey Leg Hut from using its smokers between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m until December 4. This is significant because the restaurant attracts a large crowd at night.
The order has not been made permanent just yet. The restaurant made a series of Instagram photos asking for support from fans during this time.
“Plaintiffs cannot enjoy simple activities like taking a stroll or enjoying their patios with friends without inhaling the particulate matter hanging in the air,” the suit reads.
The suit further alleged that employees are being harmed by the smoke, that the restaurant’s music system is too loud, that the sound of wood being stacked and burned is distracting, and even that the garbage trucks that pickup for the restaurant are a disturbance. WOW!
Owners of the restaurant held a press conference and noted that the claims being made ‘are bogus.’
In addition to claims of harmful smoke, the claim stated that Turkey Leg Hut has been operating “without appropriate permits from the City of Houston” since it opened at 4830 Alameda in August 2017, and claims they’ve been illegally operating the smokers used to cook the restaurant’s famed turkey legs.
“How is complying with the law and every single agency necessary to operate a restaurant business in the city of Houston make one illegal unpermitted and unregulated?” says Jeremy Pinckney, attorney of Turkey Leg Hut owner Nakia Price. “These allegations are emphatically false and we will defend them vigorously.”
One Plaintiff, a resident by the name of Patricia Bird, complains that as the business became increasingly popular and the smokers were used more often, she experienced “increased shortness of breath, increased wheezing, headaches and a depletion of energy.”
This suit is still ongoing and no final orders or decisions have been made. A hearing is scheduled for December 6.
Related: Famed Restaurant, The Turkey Leg Hut, Is Bringing Its Infamous Stuffed Turkey Legs To Atlanta
