The man behind Knightdale's celebrated Prime Barbecue is facing a lawsuit from his own business partner, who claims he was squeezed out of a planned second restaurant in Research Triangle Park after their partnership fell apart. Fred Von Canon filed suit against chef Christopher Prieto and Prieto's new company, Prime STQ LLC, in Wake County Superior Court on October 6, alleging misuse of the Prime Barbecue name, recipes and resources.
Von Canon owns 48% of Smoke & Embers LLC, the entity that operates Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, while Prieto holds the remaining 52%, according to WRAL. Both men are listed as managers of Smoke & Embers LLC. The dispute centers on Prime STQ, an 8,000-square-foot barbecue-and-steakhouse concept Prieto announced in September alongside Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin as a financial partner, though Slavin is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, court filings show, as reported by Triangle Business Journal.
How the RTP Project Began as a Joint Venture
According to the lawsuit, the Hub RTP project was originally presented as a second Prime Barbecue location, with Smoke & Embers LLC contributing a $26,523.33 security deposit and money for signage toward the effort. Court filings reviewed by the Triangle Business Journal show Von Canon had personally guaranteed the lease for the project and paid that deposit along with signage fees before later signing documents that released him from his personal guaranty.
Public Secretary of State filings show Prieto and Von Canon had co-founded the original Prime STQ LLC together in November 2024, with Von Canon serving as CEO and Prieto as president. That entity was dissolved in January 2026, and the lawsuit alleges Prieto then moved the project to a newly formed Prime STQ LLC — created in May 2026 without Von Canon or Smoke & Embers involved. Von Canon alleges Prieto used Prime's reputation to help secure Slavin's investment in the new venture.
A Buyout Offer and a Disputed Operating Agreement
Separately from the RTP fallout, a dispute arose this year over Von Canon's ownership stake in Smoke & Embers itself. Court filings cited by the Triangle Business Journal state Prieto issued a buy-sell notice to Von Canon in February, offering $115,130 for his 48% stake — an offer Von Canon rejected, disputing that a qualifying buy-sell event had even occurred, per the complaint.
The same filings point to a 2018 operating agreement for Smoke & Embers LLC containing a clause that bars any member from pursuing an independent restaurant venture without written consent from all members — a provision that appears central to Von Canon's breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims. The filings also clarify that Von Canon is the primary financier behind Prime Barbecue and controls Corner Office LLC, the real estate company that built and leases the Knightdale restaurant building to Smoke & Embers LLC, according to the Triangle Business Journal's reporting.
What Von Canon Is Asking the Court to Do
Von Canon is asking a judge to block Prieto and Prime STQ from using the Prime name and logo, from representing the RTP restaurant as an extension of Prime Barbecue, and from using the existing restaurant's recipes and alleged trade secrets. He is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages, return of any benefits Prieto obtained, and a constructive trust, per WRAL's reporting.
Prieto has pushed back publicly. He said he intends to honor and enforce written agreements requiring arbitration of disputes arising from the business relationship, and told WRAL, “I dispute the allegations” and that he remains confident in his position. Despite the litigation, Prieto plans to move forward with the new restaurant.
Prime Barbecue's Rise and the RTP Expansion Plans
Prime Barbecue opened in Knightdale in 2020 and went on to earn a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation. Prieto was also named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast and has published the Southern Living Ultimate Book of BBQ, according to Visit North Carolina. Von Canon, meanwhile, is the founder and owner of Maverick Solutions, a Wake Forest-based software company.
Prime STQ is slated to open at Hub RTP in Durham in spring 2027. When it was first announced in late 2024, Research Triangle Park described the standalone restaurant as featuring indoor and outdoor seating for 250 guests and a private dining room overlooking the pit room, within the Horseshoe section of the development. Hub RTP itself is a 100-acre mixed-use district that has rapidly expanded with its first residential apartments and a Durham County Sheriff's satellite station, Hoodline previously reported — a sign of how quickly the once purely commercial research park is transforming into a dense, urban-style neighborhood where high-profile restaurant deals now carry real financial stakes.
