For more than a quarter of a century, Aviator’s Restaurant served up breakfast and lunch within the terminal of the Sacramento Executive Airport.
The restaurant was locally beloved for its diner-style dishes, the aviation-themed decor, and the views of planes taking off from its floor-to-ceiling windows.
But construction earlier this year found significant structural damage beneath the kitchen floors. According to reporting from The Sacramento Bee, County officials said that a restaurant would not be able to reopen in the space without significant repairs, estimating that the process would take two years.
However, Aviator’s has now found a temporary spot to land.
Cheung-Sang Chik, the owner of Aviator’s, told The Sacramento Bee he is now working at Sky Port Restaurant & Bar in Elk Grove. Appropriately, Sky Port, which opened in 2025, is also aviation-themed, with the interior modeled after an elegant airplane cabin.
Sky Port, which serves high-end fusion cuisine, is open for happy hour, dinner service, and Sunday brunch. According to an announcement on Sky Port’s social media, that changed on Monday, Oct. 5. Now, Aviator’s will operate the space during Sky Port’s downtime, serving breakfast and lunch menus from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This is not the first challenge the restaurant has faced. In 2023, the county tried to move the business to a month-to-month lease, and planned to explore bids from other restaurants. Instead, Aviator’s received an outpouring of community support, and eventual renewal of the lease.
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Anne Ewbank is a service journalist and food reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Previously, she worked as a writer and editor for the New York-based travel website Atlas Obscura, where she covered food and culture. A California native, she is a graduate of Occidental College and Yale University.
The Sacramento Bee
Emma Hall covers retail and business for The Sacramento Bee. Hall graduated from Sacramento State and Diablo Valley College. She is Blackfeet and Cherokee.