Summer camp accused of not paying The Chicken Hut in Durham for nearly $4,000 in meals
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Durham summer camp is allegedly not paying its bills, and a popular Durham restaurant known for helping out the community is one of the vendors waiting to be paid.
The Chicken Hut is owed $3,400 and CJF America admitted they owe the money but blamed the delay on how their funds are distributed.
CJF America said full payment would be made on Wednesday, July 30, and the owner of the Chicken Hut said they told him it would be by four o'clock. He waited, but it didn't happen.
ABC11 has reached out to CJF America but has not heard back from them.
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Tre Tapp, the owner of The Chicken Hut in Durham, says CJF America asked him to provide meals to their kids attending their summer camp.
"They reached out to us to provide meals for 125 kids for breakfast and 125 kids for lunch daily," Tapp adds.
The Chicken Hut has a signed contract with CJF Summer Camp for the meals at their Durham location. The camp is free for families, and CJF says it offers space for youth in underserved neighborhoods. Tapp says the first week of camp, June 23rd, they did their job. He says, "Bought our food or other supplies, pay my staff to prepare, and my staff would get it in the morning at 6 a.m. in the morning to guarantee that their food would be ready and breakfast delivered by 8 a.m."
At the end of the week, the contract says The Chicken Hut would get paid, and the invoice for the 250 meals provided is $ 3,437.50, but Tapp says he didn't get his payment from CJF. They promised us every week a payment, but those promises obviously have been broken every week. The contact person who we were supposed to be in contact with regarding this matter. We've emailed, we've called, we text, no response."
The Chicken Hut reached out to ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson, and she got in touch with CJF America, which is based in the Triangle, and states on its website that it is a vital arm of the Courtney Jordan Foundation. On its website, it states, its mission is building stronger communities. Tapp says after Troubleshooter contacted CJF America, payment was promised again. "Once again, the same old story that we've been hearing for going over a month," Tapp said.
ABC11 Troubleshooter reached out to CJF America again, and this time, the President, Kristen Picot, sent this email:
At CJF America, we deeply value our partnerships with local businesses and recognize the vital role vendors like The Chicken Hut play in helping us serve families across Durham. We understand the concern shared and want to be clear in both our acknowledgment and intent.
Over the past several weeks, CJF America has experienced a significant but temporary disruption in the internal mechanisms that govern how funds are disbursed across our network. This has affected several key partners, including vendors, utility providers, and members of our staff. In the course of scaling our operations to meet high demand, internal processes experienced unforeseen delays. We regret any impact this has caused.
CJF America has remained in communication with The Chicken Hut throughout this process. We recognize that during a period of internal adjustment, messaging may not have been consistent across all points of contact. We take responsibility for any confusion this caused and are working to ensure clarity moving forward.
To be clear: CJF America fully intends to honor all outstanding commitments. The Chicken Hut is scheduled to receive full payment on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in accordance with our updated disbursement plan. Our team has prioritized their invoice to ensure resolution by that date.
We are grateful for the patience and professionalism many in our community have shown as we work diligently to resolve this disruption. Despite the challenges, our free summer programming has continued to operate, offering a stable, enriching space for youth in underserved neighborhoods.
We remain committed to fulfilling every obligation with integrity and transparency. Our mission: to provide access, equity, and opportunity to underserved communities, relies on trusted relationships, and we look forward to continuing that work with full alignment and accountability. Please don't hesitate to reach out should you need further documentation or clarification.
Tapp is hoping this time CJF America comes through on their commitment to pay the $3,400 he's owed. He said to Wilson, "I have to pay everything up front, and so I have to pay my staff up front, so all this came out in my pocket."
ABC11 Troubleshooter will keep you updated as CJF America says The Chicken Hut will be paid on July 30th. Besides the restaurant, Wilson is hearing from CJF America employees and summer camp workers who say they have not been paid for any of their work, some claiming they're owed thousands of dollars, and even provided checks that can't be cashed due to insufficient funds. ABC11 News will continue to report on this and bring you the latest as we uncover more.
