By Zeb Hargett

I have been looking forward to hearing the story of Cris Eddings and his mother, Yoshie, for a while. Cris is a partner in the original Chuck’s Fish in Tuscaloosa with Charles Morgan.  My son first introduced me to sushi there, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Bright and always cheerful, Cris has a warm, inviting, and infectious personality.

Cris’ dad was a photojournalist in the Air Force in Tokyo, where he met and married his mom, Yoshie Eddings. There, Yoshie’s father started his first restaurant in the 1930s, mainly serving ramen and other Japanese cuisine. She grew up working in the family restaurants and was trained at her father’s knee. The family lived above the restaurant, which was typical in Japan, and Yoshie rose early each morning to prepare the restaurant to open. 

After his father was assigned to Hurlburt Field near Mary Esther, Florida, the family moved to Destin when Cris was 12 years old. They lived on base and Cris attended Ft. Walton Beach High School. Yoshie continued working in the restaurant industry preparing sushi at a local Japanese restaurant in Destin called Sakura (which means cherry blossom in Japanese).

In 1979, Charles Morgan founded Harbor Docks, the infamous restaurant and bar on Destin Harbor. He was a frequent patron of Sakura’s sushi bar where he initially met Yoshie. Ultimately, Yoshie joined him at Harbor Docks in 1991. Cris was 15 years old and began bussing tables there. 

“Through the years, I held numerous positions at Harbor Docks as a dishwasher, busboy, barback, and server. While earning my Communications degree at the University of West Florida, I worked summers between semesters. In 2022, after graduation and a brief stint as a software developer, Charles offered me a position as a manager at Harbor Docks. I wasn’t enamored with the software business, so I said, “Why not?’”

Cris says he knew he would always end up in the restaurant business, and Charles had been so gracious to him and his mom, that it was an easy decision. “Charles afforded my mom to be successful, and I knew that if I worked hard and proved myself, I stood a good chance of having great opportunities under his mentorship. I never went to business school to learn how to run a restaurant, and  I have been far better off spending the last 20 years learning as Charles’s partner. Aside from all the guidance about our industry, he’s taught me invaluable life lessons that reach far beyond the restaurant world.”

In 2004, Charles approached Cris with an opportunity to open a restaurant down the road called  Camille’s at Crystal Beach, named after his mother. He offered Cris a partnership with Camille’s, and in return, made it Cris’ responsibility to put the restaurant together, train the staff, and help operate the business. Camille’s just celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Around 2005, Charles offered Cris a similar opportunity to open another restaurant in Tuscaloosa. They opened Chuck’s Fish, named after Charles’ father, in August 2006, just in time for football season. Cris traveled back and forth from Tuscaloosa to Destin, overseeing both restaurants. Chuck’s was taking off, and he decided to move in 2007, to Tuscaloosa. Then it got interesting.

“Coach Saban got the Alabama job in 2007, and I had a golden opportunity to host a recruiting event at Chuck’s Fish. They were pleased enough with us, that we gained his confidence, and he scheduled recruiting dinners with us, one after another. Thankfully, Coach Saban is a creature of habit, and we appreciated that we became a part of his recruiting process. Once this became a regular thing, I was able to establish close relationships with the entire Athletic Department. Not only has it been perfect for business, but I have also created wonderful friendships with a variety of college and NFL coaches.”

Another Chuck’s Fish restaurant opened in Birmingham in 2009. Cris says that what distinguishes Chuck’s Fish and makes it special is that through Harbor Docks’ Seafood Market, they catch their own fish out of the Gulf of Mexico waters and deliver it directly to their restaurants.  Fresh Snapper Throats, a delicacy for those who know, is one of their specialties.

As each new restaurant was conceived, Yoshie established a sushi bar and trained the staff on how to roll sushi. This is a popular distinction, Cris tells me, because it’s hard to get four people to agree on where to eat, much less just sushi. “Between the fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, and my mother’s trusted sushi, it comes down to executing all these options really well.”

Over the years, as early as 2006, Cris and Charles were hearing persistent requests to open a Chuck’s Fish in Mobile. They scouted the area of LoDa, (Lower Dauphin) and landed a spot in a historic building on Dauphin Street near downtown. Chuck’s Fish opened in 2017 and has recently expanded to offer more tables and additional bar space.

“I saw a need to expand because, especially on weekends, we would have people on a long waiting list, or I would hear people say they would call for a reservation and couldn’t get one. We felt people would benefit from more seats, and that’s proven to be true,” says Cris. 

He tells me a big part of the success of their restaurants is a great management structure.  The need to spend time with employees and management in each restaurant is not lost on Charles or Cris, and they each commit time each week to visit different stores. Ninety percent of management growth is from within. 

“The importance of being present as an owner in the restaurant business can’t be overstated. It’s vital to get to know the people who choose to work with us, and just as important for them to get to know the owners. We take immense pride in having people who have worked with us for many years.”

Throughout the southeast, Charles and Cris have continued opening restaurants. Having traveled from city to city between Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Athens, Tallahassee, and soon Huntsville, Cris and his family decided to settle in Mobile in 2017. He says they have really grown to love living here.

“The people we’ve met here in Mobile are special. We have great neighbors at Chuck’s Fish, and we get along well with other restaurants and their owners in the area. We all pull for each other. Furthermore, we’ve made great friends in general, and I think Mobile has an incredibly bright future. The new downtown airport, the Civic Center redevelopment, and the growing industry, all bode well.  I can’t wait to see where Mobile is five to ten years from now.”

In 2012, Charles and Cris started a 501c3 non-profit called American Lunch, with the tagline, “For the People.” It's a food truck that serves free meals 2 to 3 times a week in various cities where they have restaurants, and have given 500,000 meals for free so far.

“We wanted to create a really good quality lunch and serve people in impoverished areas. Every meal is cooked and packaged at the restaurant and then delivered to some area of the city. It’s volunteer-run by employees. We understand that we employ people who aren’t going to be with us forever. We want them to take away the notion that if you are in a position to help somebody, you should take the opportunity to do just that.”

He continues, “We’ve been fortunate to find success selling food for a living, so it’s not a big deal for us to be giving some of it away. The people we employ who volunteer to work for our non-profit program can put their heads on their pillows at night knowing they made a positive difference in someone’s life. That’s what we want.”

In several cities where they operate a restaurant, they host a Thanksgiving Holiday Feast. This is a community event and all are welcome, and there is no charge. 

“We prepare for weeks, and it’s a really good Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. If you don’t feel like cooking and doing dishes, come join us. If you are homeless, a college student who couldn’t get home, or a visitor who finds themselves out of town for the holidays, come by the restaurant between 11 am and 3 pm on Thanksgiving Day. We don’t solicit donations, but we will accept them and donate to a local non-profit.”

With ten restaurants with Sushi Bars, Yoshie is still training Sushi chefs and working every day. She has never strayed from using traditional Japanese utensils with passed-down techniques and recipes from her family. She is now 73 years old, still living in Destin, and overseeing the sushi operations. You can see the love and admiration spilling across Cris’ face when he talks about his mom.

“My mother is truly driven and gratified in this industry by making other people feel special. She is the most gracious person I know. Her family’s restaurant motto in Japan is, “If you make other people smile, everything will fall into place.” She genuinely lives her life following those words. A lot of people got to know me as ‘Yoshie’s son’. I will happily ride those coattails for as long as I can.”

As we wrap our conversation in the newly expanded space, Cris joyfully greets employees and guests as they arrive for the evening dinner service. He points to all the photos on the wall that reflect the history and relationships Cris and Charles have built over the years. I think the secret of their success is that they truly care about people because they are good people.

Thanks, Cris. I enjoyed that immensely!