Chef saves man's life after he didn’t show up to restaurant he’s visited every day for 10 years

Once you find a restaurant you love, chances are you'll find yourself dining there regularly.

This is exactly what happened after Charlie Hicks discovered the Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Florida. The 78-year-old enjoyed his meal at the seafood restaurant so much that he has since returned twice a day for the last decade. At lunchtime, he places an order of gumbo — light on the rice, please — and hold the cracker. For dinner, he dines on the exact same meal.

"Mr. Hicks don't miss no days," one of the Shrimp Basket's chefs, Donnell Stallworth, told CBS News. "We open the doors up, Mr. Hicks is there to greet us."

Since Charlie has eaten two meals a day at the restaurant for the last ten years, the staff knew something was amiss when he failed to show up at the establishment for several days in a row in September 2025.

Charlie has been dining at the Shrimp Basket for a decade (CBS News)

After he didn't show up at first, workers called Charlie's home, and he answered to tell them that he was sick. A staff member delivered his order to his apartment and, at Charlie's request, left it at the door for fear of passing on the illness to someone else. On the third day, when they phoned Charlie, the call rang out and went straight to voicemail — which is when the worry set in.

Sensing that something wasn't right, Chef Donnell immediately stopped in the middle of his shift and drove over to the senior's apartment. When he knocked on the door, he got no answer.

"Right when I was going to turn [away], I heard something, a voice, just like, 'Help,'" 45-year-old Donnell said. "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."

It wasn't certain how long Charlie had been on the floor, and he was found to have two broken ribs and was severely dehydrated.

Vowing that the long-time customer wouldn't be alone during his recovery, staff brought Charlie his twice-daily order with them to the hospital so he wouldn't be without his gumbo fix.

Once Charlie was discharged from the hospital, they went the extra mile and helped him find a new apartment located right next to the Shrimp Basket so they could keep an eye on him.

Shrimp Basket staff helped Charlie move into a new apartment next door (CBS News)

“[Charlie] said that Donell had saved his life. And I’m pretty sure that Donell and [the Shrimp Basket staff] saved his life," Charlie’s niece, Christina Neeper, told the Pensacola News Journal. "Donell has been texting him and visiting him. Apparently, they’re best friends.”

By December 2025, Charlie was back to his regular visits to the Shrimp Basket. Donnell was delighted to see his 'buddy' back in the restaurant, with their bond strengthened due to the incident.

"We made a connection," Charlie told CBS News. "We made a connection."

"He’s that uncle. He’s that grandfather. He’s that best friend," Donnell added. "He’s all in one."