By Mike Allen
May 30, 2025 (Santee) -- After more than six months of being vacant, the concession stand at Santee Lake No. 4 will reopen June 12 under a new name and operator: Topwater Grill and Pacific Dining Group.
The San Mateo-based firm, which operates 28 locations in California, was selected by the board of directors of Padre Dam Water District to be the park’s concessionaire, the third such vender at the site in the past four years.
“We think we have a great partner with the Pacific Dining Group…one that can offer a lot more to our guests,” said Cory Kading, PDWD’s director of parks and recreation.
Pacific Dining founder and president Rick McMahon also emphasized working collaboratively with both the district and the community to hear what they have to say about the business, which will be the company’s first in San Diego County.
“We’ll be looking for input from the community as we go and will listen to what the community says, and make changes as we need to,” he said.
The menu at Topwater will be focused on California grilled cuisine with a good selection of healthier fare such as salmon and açaí bowls. But it will also feature hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, bar snacks, and a children’s menu, McMahon said.
The two previous venders at the site, Tin Fish and Angry Pete’s, concentrated on fish and pizza. Both exited the park before their three- year contracts expired.
Pacific Dining will benefit from an amended three-year contract that essentially provides a safety net where the vender won’t pay any rent if they don’t hit at least $55,000 in sales a month. After that threshold is reached, they’ll pay a sliding scale of their gross revenue ranging from 5 to 8 percent (over $100,000 in sales).
The previous two contracts called for a monthly base rent. Kading said the average sales generated by the prior venders ranged from $35,000 to $90,000 monthly. The contract also calls for the district to pay all of Pacific Dining’s utilities including gas, electric and water.
Kading said Pacific Dining Group was judged the best from four complete proposals that were submitted to the district. Twelve entities expressed an interest in becoming the vender.
Among the key factors that led to Pacific Dining’s selection was its management, its culinary experience, and strong emphasis on being a partner with the district, Kading said. “They will be a true partner with Santee Lakes, not just an entity operating independently,” he said
McMahon said the Topwater Grill’s menu will range from $8 for a children’s menu to $17 for a steak sandwich. It will offer beer and wine. The hours will be 7 a.m to 8 p.m. from March through September; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m in October; and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November through February.
The kitchen will be headed by Chef Kevin Aiello who has about 30 years in the restaurant industry. It will have three to five full-time employees.
Founded by McMahon in 1989 in San Jose, Pacific Dining Group provides a range of food services to government and private clients, with a good deal of colleges including El Camino College, Pierce College, and College of the Desert. Last year it did about $20 million in sales and had about 300 employees.
There will be an enticement for Topwater visitors who may have second thoughts about going to a park which charges an entry fee for vehicles. They’ll be able to apply that fee (from $4 to $7) to the concession bill, Kading said. “We want to make sure there’s real value for our guests eating here.”
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