Tributes flow for Stack Shack’s Jimmy after the Rutherford business announced his death

20 February 2026

newy.com.au – The Stack Shack burger shop in Rutherford and Mayfield announced that Jimmy, the outgoing face of its daily specials videos, had died, prompting an outpouring of tributes from customers and local businesses.

Jimmy had become a familiar presence on Facebook through upbeat videos promoting “The HOME of the $10 special”, with many followers saying they watched his posts every morning and felt like they knew him. The Stack Shack has also recently started trading from 189 Maitland Road, Mayfield, where customers said they had seen him serving coffee and meals.

In a short statement, The Stack Shack Rutherford wrote: “It is with deep sorrow our Jimmy passed away early this morning […] the shop will be closed until Further notice.” The post said his “wife family & friends are devastated”.

Maxi Save Maitland wrote it was “deeply saddened to hear of Jimmy’s passing”, describing him as “a great local who truly supported and cared for the community, and his presence will be greatly missed by so many”.

Friends and customers described Jimmy as generous and community minded, with many saying his warmth extended beyond the counter. Jamie Nardella said: “Once in a lifetime someone special comes along who impacts society with his huge heart […] Jimmy made sure everyone was looked after well feed and excluded nobody.”

Maitland Councillor Loretta Baker said she had only recently got to know Jimmy through his videos, writing: “This is the saddest news, just getting to know him through his videos […] He connected with so many people through his posts he will be missed by many.”

His following stretched beyond his shop, including people who had never made it to Rutherford or Mayfield but looked forward to his updates. David Thomas wrote: “I never when to his shop (live in Lake Mac) his ads on FB made me smile every day that is a measure of his impact,” while Wayne Bourke added: “Watched his video everyday didn’t get to meet him he did his video with love rip”.

Those who met him in person frequently described an old school approach to customer service. Deanna, from Ribs & Pizza on Glebe, said she visited the Mayfield shop on Tuesday and Jimmy “even insisted on giving me a slice of berry cheesecake”, adding: “It was such a small gesture, but it spoke volumes about the kind of person he was.”

Others said his enthusiasm and booming callouts became part of the area’s daily routine. “You can’t help but smile when Jimmy pops up on your page,” Kell Lewis wrote, while Bobby Ashton said he would “definitely miss the the yelling out $10 specials across the car park made me smile every time”.

Some of his customers said they had seen Jimmy only days earlier, including while he was closing up the Mayfield shop or shopping locally, and several people wrote about road trips they had been planning after discovering his videos. “I never met him but I loved his enthusiasm and his clips advertising his shop,” Stephen Blaze wrote.

The Stack Shack Rutherford said the shop would stay closed “until Further notice”.