When a regular at his restaurant stopped showing up, the chef went looking for him

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Last edited Sat Dec 13, 2025, 08:23 AM - Edit history (2)

CBS, 12/12/25
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/when-a-regular-at-his-restaurant-stopped-showing-up-the-chef-went-looking-for-him/ar-AA1SfHMJ

Pensacola, Florida — At the Shrimp Basket restaurant in Pensacola, Florida, one customer has been a constant presence. For lunch, he always orders a cup of gumbo, light on the rice, and asks to hold the cracker.

He also puts the same order in again for dinner. Charlie Hicks, 78, has had the same standing order, every day, twice a day, for 10 years.

Shrimp Basket chef Donell Stallworth says you could set your clock by Hicks.

"Mr. Hicks don't miss no days," Stallworth told CBS News. "We open the doors up, Mr. Hicks is there to greet us."

Hicks was omnipresent at the Shrimp Basket until September, when he suddenly didn't show up for several days.

There's a video along with the full text story. The video has segments showing the chef hospital bed-side with a cup of gumbo, and the new apartment about a stone's throw from the restaurant, and with chef and staff installing new appliances.