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Remembering Charlie Goodson: A Life Served with Heart and Soul
Jan 29, 2026
Charlie Goodson never set out to become a restaurant legend—but hospitality found him anyway.
What started in 1967 as a bartending job while struggling through engineering courses turned into a lifetime devoted to restaurants, people, and community. As Charlie once put it, “I started going to school less and working more.” That honesty, paired with grit and instinct, became the foundation of an extraordinary career.
From Charley G’s Seafood Grille—with its iconic gumbo and crab cakes that stayed on the menu for more than 40 years—to Metro Bistro in downtown New Orleans, Charlie’s restaurants were known not just for great food, but for thoughtful management and genuine hospitality. He believed success wasn’t accidental: “A well-run and managed facility will always win.”
Charlie also believed the heart of any restaurant was its people. “The number one customer you have is your employee,” he said—words he lived by as a mentor, employer, and leader.
His service to the Louisiana Restaurant Association was just as impactful. From joining the Board in 1988, to leading the Acadiana Chapter, to serving as LRA Chair in 1998, Charlie showed up—consistently and wholeheartedly. He later earned the titles of Restaurateur of the Year and Hall of Fame Inductee, but he never stopped being hands-on or humble.
Even after selling his restaurants to Southern Hospitality Kitchens, Charlie remained active with the LRA, lending his time, his voice, and his legendary Duck and Andouille Gumbo to Acadiana Chapter fundraisers.
Charlie Goodson passed away on January 28, 2026, but his legacy continues in every lesson he shared, every plate served, and every restaurateur he encouraged along the way. Louisiana hospitality is better because of him.