Overview
- Chef Donell Stallworth noticed 78-year-old regular Charlie Hicks stopped coming to Pensacola’s Shrimp Basket in September and drove to check on him.
- He found Hicks on the floor with two broken ribs and severe dehydration and had 911 called, leading to hospitalization and rehab.
- Staff delivered Hicks’s usual gumbo during his hospital stay and helped him move into an apartment beside the restaurant to support his recovery.
- Employees cleaned and set up the new place, a niece assisted with the move, and by December Hicks had returned to his usual table.
- The restaurant’s president announced free gumbo for life for Hicks and offered a one-day free-gumbo-with-purchase promotion in his honor.