The Buzz: The scoop with former Big Dipper Cafe. New chapter for Peter's Chu's Skyroom
David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight
Updated 5 min read
It’s been six years since a piece of Shasta Lake history closed its doors.
But there’s new life at the former Big Dipper Café on the island between Front Street and Shasta Dam Boulevard.
The building is undergoing a major facelift after local pastor Jim Newton bought it this past spring.
The buzz around town is the former café, which opened a year before start of construction on Shasta Dam Boulevard, is going to be turned into an ice cream parlor.
But Newton recently told me that his plans after he finishes the retrofit are to be determined.
“It’s kind of up in the air,” said Newton, who is the pastor at Grace Fellowship in Shasta Lake. “The purpose right now is to get it rain tight and get it to where it has ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) bathrooms in it. Whether or not it becomes an ice cream shop, I’m not sure. I have no plans at the moment that are set.”
The Big Dipper Café closed during the summer of 2017 after the most recent owner told the Record Searchlight that the business wasn’t bringing in enough money to keep its doors open.
The former Big Dipper Cafe building in Shasta Lake is undergoing a major overhaul after it was purchased earlier this year.
The restaurant opened in 1937 and had changed owners many times over the years.
In fact, it wasn’t always a diner.
From a 1955 Record Searchlight classified ad: “FOR LEASE: With Option to Buy. Fountain & Sandwich Shop. Excellent business established many years. … Low down payment. Approx. $1300 will put you in business. THE BIG DIPPER. Central Valley.”
“I really love the aspect of preserving what it is. My goal is to retore it like it was in 1937,” Newton said.
Stay tuned.
Benton Airpark, a year later
In May 2022, Benton Air Center at Benton Air Park in west Redding closed, surprising many in the aviation community.
The airport is city-owned and the abrupt closure even left the city wondering what happened.
But more than a year after the air center closed, the city is no closer to finding someone to come in and re-open the restaurant, the flight school and maintenance shop at Benton.
To be clear, the closure has not affected operations at the airport, which remains open for takeoffs and landings.
Still, local pilots like Ron Lim are eager to see a new fixed-based operator at the airport.
Benton Air Center at Benton Airpark in Redding closed in May 2022. The airport in west Redding remains open.
“The potential for doing well there is there,” said Lim, who did not know why the city has had a difficult time bringing on a new fixed-based operator.
While Lim continues to fly in and out of Benton, he said he must go to Redding Regional Airport for fuel.
One of the most popular features at the airport was the Airpark Café, which gave diners a birds-eye of planes taking off and landing while they enjoyed breakfast or lunch.
“On the nice deck there, you could see planes coming and going. The kids loved it,” Lim said.
Redding Airports Manager Jim Wadleigh said one of the challenges to finding a new fixed-based operators has been the former café.
“Originally approved to be a sandwich shop, it somehow later developed under the radar into a café without installation of a grease trap,” Wadleigh said in an email. “Now, a grease trap is not a simple thing to install with initial estimates valued at $35,000.”
Wadleigh said the cost for a grease trap and additional repairs have probably affected the level of interest.
“It simply requires a fair bit of capital,” he said.
The city solicited proposals for Benton Air Park this summer. But nobody responded.
“Since no proposals were received, the airport is now able to reach out to all parties that have expressed an interest when the very first report of the business closing its doors occurred,” Wadleigh said.
Wadleigh added that he has met with potential operators and anticipates more meetings.
“We need an operator to fill the many voids that exist today,” he said.
Anyone interested can call the airports manager at 530-224-4321.
New chapter at Peter Chu’s Skyroom
Opened in the early 1990s at Redding Municipal Airport, Peter Chu’s Skyroom has been a favorite North State dining destination.
Peter Chu's Skyroom is on the second floor of the passenger terminal at Redding Regional Airport.
The restaurant is perched on the second floor of the airport passenger terminal, a pretty cool spot to take in the runway and mountains east of Redding while enjoying dinner and/or a cocktail.
Recently, the city council approved a new operator for Peter Chu’s at the airport.
Yangda Pan is the new owner. He was a chef at New China restaurant in Redding from 2006 to 2015 before moving to the Sacramento area, where owned a restaurant called China Chef.
Pan is currently working with Chu on the transition.
Mohamed Tung, a business associate of Pan, recently told me that Pan doesn’t have any plans to dramatically change the menu or the vibe at Chu’s Skyroom.
“He is working with Chu to make sure that everything goes according to plan and every menu item remains the same,” Tung said. “Every customer who’s been to Peter Chu’s place is accustomed to the flavors and you don’t want to change because you will lose your customers.”
Pan’s agreement with the city runs through September 2027.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
