Shrimp Basket Chef Saves Customer's Life After He Doesn't Show For Daily Meal
Gulf Shores News Staff • December 16, 2025
78 year old man was regular customer at Shrimp Basket
A Shrimp Basket Chef has created a special bond with a regular customer and the story has gone viral around the nation. As reported by CBS News, Chef Stallworth was worried when his "best friend" didn't show up for his daily cup of gumbo.
Charlie Hicks, 78, has ordered a cup of gumbo — light on the rice, without the cracker — from the Shrimp Basket for lunch and dinner every single day for the last 10 years. Donnell Stallworth, a chef at Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, said that Mr. Hicks would often be at the restaurant as they opened for lunch each day.
When Chef Stallworth noticed that the customer had not shown up for a few days he and the restaurant's staff became concerned and decided to investigate what had happened to Mr. Hicks. They phoned his home, and Hicks said he was sick. So, they delivered his gumbo to his apartment. Hicks insisted they leave it at the door because he didn’t want to get anyone else sick, the Pensacola News Journal reported. After 3 days of checking on Hicks their calls went to voicemail.
Stallworth told CBS News he originally feared the worst. He left in the middle of his shift and drove straight to Hicks’ apartment. He knocked on the door repeatedly, but there was no answer.
“And right when I was going to turn, I heard something, a voice, just like, ‘Help’. And then I opened the door up. He was lying on the ground, and I didn’t know what his condition was — that was the scariest part right there,” Stallworth told the outlet.
His “best friend” had fallen, broken two ribs and was severely dehydrated.
Hicks was hospitalized and the Shrimp Basket team spent off-duty hours visiting his room during recovery. After he was released, they went the extra mile and helped Hicks find and move into a new apartment right next to the restaurant so they could keep an eye on him.
By December, the regular was back at the Shrimp Basket, chatting with Stallworth at his usual table.
Stallworth told the Pensacola News Journal that they usually start off by talking about “The Andy Griffith Show,” then let the conversation flow from there.
“I’m glad to have you back, buddy,” Stallworth told Hicks when he entered the Shrimp Basket for the first time since he was discharged from the hospital.
Stallworth told CBS News that having Hicks so close “is the best thing going.”
As the Christmas holiday nears this viral story of humanity reminds us of how we can contribute to someone's life each day of the year.
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