A new restaurant has opened just minutes from Florida A&M’s campus.
While the restaurant, Shrimp Stop has been up and operating for some time, Saturday was the grand opening.
Shrimp Stop is owned by two individuals, Roy Anderson and Thaddeus Ward, whose friendship goes back more than 30 years. Anderson and Ward are both Tallahassee natives and alums of Godby High School, class of 1997.
Anderson is the secondary coach for the Minnesota Vikings, and the founder of Roy Anderson’s football camp, which is a free camp hosted for the youth.
Ward is a wide receivers coach at Kansas State University. He does not just serve as a coach at KSU, he also hosts community activities.
After a previous collaboration, Anderson and Ward decided to return to the community that raised them to open the doors to Shrimp Stop.
It has been an idea between the two business partners for about 10 years.
The owners said that this experience was not possible without the help of having family involved.
“I am so proud of Thaddeus and his partner Roy. They have always been good boys,” Lucille Ward Jones, Ward’s mother and Shrimp Stop’s store manager said. “I’ve been hearing Thaddeus talk about his plans for this restaurant since he was 16. I’m just glad it is finally a dream come true”.
Anderson and Ward felt like Tallahassee was the perfect place to open Shrimp Stop because there is no place like home. The focus was building in the area and giving back to the community.
“My greatest moment in working in this business is every two weeks, doing the payroll,” Ward said. “Giving back to the community by supplying jobs and seeing people happy, is what gives me joy.”
Shrimp stop has a menu ranging from fried seafood such as fish and shrimp, to various Southern sides, to even mouthwatering desserts.
“I been coming here for the past week, and out of that week I have been here a good four to five times,” Johnny Walker, a Shrimp Stop customer said. “All the food is delicious, but my go-to is the shrimp po’boy.”
The restaurant is located at 1812 South Monroe and is serving customers from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sundays. Shrimp Stop can also be ordered via Bite Squad, Door Dash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.
In the coming weeks, students will be able to come in and receive 10% off their orders with a student ID.
Anderson and Ward have agreed that giving back to their community is necessary, and with the opening of their new restaurant, they feel like it’s a start to setting an example and paving the way for the younger generation here in Tallahassee.