Bun B has being accused of stealing a burger recipe from his fellow Trill Burgers co-founders, amid an ongoing dispute kicked off by a lawsuit filed by the Houston icon’s attorneys.
The UGK rapper co-founded Houston burger spot Trill Burgers in 2021 with siblings Patsy and Benson Vivares, as well as Andy Nguyen and Nick Scurfield.
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In legal issues that have been swirling for over a year, Trill Burgers has accused the Vivares siblings of misappropriating funds from the company, while the brother and sister duo have hit back and claimed that Bun B and co. stole their burger recipe.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the UGK rapper and partners Nguyen and Scurfield filed a lawsuit against the siblings in August, accusing them of stealing $45,000 to pay off debts associated with another restaurant owned by the Vivares.
In January, the brother-sister duo filed a number of counterclaims, including an allegation that they originated the recipe that would become known as the OG Trill Burger.
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“[The Vivareses] spent a lot of time and energy developing the recipe,” their attorney Saad Aziz told the Chronicle. “They are the ones who kind of came up with the specifics of the smashburger … now called the OG Trill Burger.”
The Vivareses allege that they invented the recipe for the original Trill Burger and later partnered with Nguyen, who then brought on Bun B and Scurfield. The Vivareses are seeking $1 million from Bun B, Scurfield, Nguyen and Trill Burgers, LLC.
They also claim that Trill Burgers poached chef Mike Pham from the siblings, a charge denied by the company. Trill Burgers also claim that Patsy and Benson Vivares did not come up with the recipe for the OG Trill Burger. They say it was developed years ago by Nguyen and another chef, Fernando Valladares.
The Vivares siblings originally ran Sticky’s Chicken and partnered with Bun B in 2021. Trill Burgers originally ran as a pop-up, making its first appearance at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where it was a big success.
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After the event, the siblings and the rest of the partners began falling out, with the Vivareses accused of stealing thousands of dollars.
The Vivareses are accused of stealing $45,000 from Trill Burgers to pay off debts occurred by Sticky’s Chicken, which they deny.
In turn, the siblings accused Bun B of misappropriating funds by purchasing a high-end car to promote the business. The rapper denied the claim and said the vehicle was rented and was a sedan.
Bun’s lawyer Charles Adams called the allegation that his client misappropriated funds to buy a car “horrifying and offensive.”
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In June 2022, the partners had a meeting and the siblings were asked to forfeit their share of the business. The Vivareses allegedly agreed to give up their claim in the business at this meeting.
