Hundreds from Stockton flocked to Fat City Brew & BBQ on Friday, in support of restaurant owner Don King, who is battling a serious illness.
Since 2010, King has served Stockton with staples like smoked meats, ribs, wings, burgers and sandwiches. For the past six months however, King has been battling cancer, causing him to spend more time away from the establishment.
Fifteen-year-old Harley King, one of his two daughters working at the restaurant told Stocktonia she felt like it’s been forever since she started working alongside him.
“Even at our old location in Lincoln Center, when we owned a supply shop, I would always be there helping my dad,” she said. “I was just there, you know, to help give out sodas or stuff like that.”
They had planned to take a trip shortly after Harley’s finals in late April, but the King family discovered their father had stage four brain cancer, refocusing their attention at home.
King stopped by briefly before the fundraiser, but was unable to stay long.
At one point, staff stopped taking orders, as they simply were overwhelmed by the community’s response, demonstrated by the line pushed out the door and around the corner.
Event organizer Julia Romero smiled as she attested to the community’s response.
“Every seat was taken in the house except for two tables with two chairs. It’s been busy all day,” she said surrounded by supporters.
As Stockton’s Miracle Mile became packed wall to wall, the story told itself loud and clear, Don King is not fighting alone.
“Everybody came out and supported him and I think he would be overly excited.”
Community members have also showered King with support through a GoFundMe page called “Help Don King in His Fight Against Cancer.” As of July 27, $12,974 has been raised from 77 donors, over halfway to the goal of $25,000.
The online page’s beneficiary, his wife Nadja King, speaks on his behalf in the bio. “If you know Don, you know his strength, his generosity, and his heart. We want to give him every chance to focus on healing without the overwhelming stress of financial strain,” it reads.
Fat City Brew & BBQ is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, and closed Monday.
For updates on Don King’s journey, you can follow him on Facebook, and for more on his restaurant, check out @fatcitybrewbbq on Instagram.