Struggling to stay in business, the family that owns Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine is selling their hard-liquor license.

Neeru Basanti, whose parents own the restaurant in the Hilltop Towne Center on Hilltop Drive, said their rent recently went from $2,000 to $5,500 a month. They opened Taj Mahal there in 2014.

“That’s a big difference. We are trying to stay here,” Basanti said. “We understand a couple of hundred bucks is reasonable. It’s a really tough spot we are in.”

Will Chan of Hignell Companies — the firm that manages the shopping center for the landlord — said in an e-mail that the rent from the original lease in 2013 was already higher than $2,000, “plus they had to pay a separate monthly Common Area Maintenance charge on top of that. They now have a Modified Gross lease where the Common Area Maintenance is included in the one monthly rent charge.”

Chan said Taj Mahal’s monthly rent did go up to bring it in line with other shopping center tenants that operate restaurants. The other eateries in Hilltop Towne Center are Cicada Cantina, Tokyo Garden and La Michoacana Plus.

Liquor license being transferred to new downtown bar, eatery

Taj Mahal continues to serve beer and wine, but its hard-liquor license is in the process of a "premises to premises/person-to-person transfer" to Front Door Hospitality, the bar and restaurant that is expected to open this summer downtown at the Redding Public Market.

A California Alcoholic Beverage Control notice of transfer is posted on the door of Front Door Hospitality on Market Street.

Gurmeet Singh and Sukhvir Basanti, Neeru Basanti’s parents, said they are transferring, or selling, the hard-liquor license for $130,000.

Facebook post spurs community support

The community has rallied behind Taj Mahal. An April 6 post on Facebook talking about the family’s struggles has had more than 500 shares and more than 53 comments.

Taj Mahal's story comes several months after Sweetspot relocated from Hilltop Towne Center to Hartnell Avenue, where the business purchased the building. Owner Charmaine Yu has said they were unable to come to terms on a new lease. Sweetspot had been in the Hilltop Towne Center for 10 years.

The former Sweetspot space there remains empty.

Salon moved to Hilltop Towne Center in July

Jennifer Shufelberger opened Boheme Salon & Spa in Hilltop Towne Center last summer. She signed a three-year lease and is happy with her location.

But she doesn’t minimize what Taj Mahal is saying because it’s difficult running a small business.

“It’s really hard to stay in business right now. So, I empathize with them,” she said.

New coffee shop downtown?

A nondescript building on lower East Street in downtown Redding has been repurposed into a production plant for one of the North State’s popular coffee brands.

Feast Coffee Roastery is just north of R&R Quality Meats & Seafood. It’s in the same small center where Sakura Sushi used to be. Feast Coffee is the brand served at Evergreen, the coffee bar and café on Pine Street, also in downtown Redding.

Eric and Lisa Schuler purchased Evergreen in 2021 from previous owners Drew Diaz and Kristine Diaz Coffman. The Coffmans bought the business in 2018 and changed the name to Evergreen.

General Manager Joel Smith recently told me that before the Schulers bought the café, Eric would roast his Feast Coffee in a back corner inside Evergreen. Schuler started Feast Coffee in 2016.

The space, about the size of a large walk-in closet, is where the Schuler’s continued to roast Feast after they bought Evergreen. About a year ago, they decided they needed a more room for production.

"We roast close to 2,000 pounds (of coffee) a week," Smith said.

Enter East Street. When the building became available, the Schulers found the space they needed.

In addition to coffee, Feast Chocolate and Glow, the organic health treats brand the Schulers sell, will be produced at the East Street facility.

Before, the chocolate was made at Sizzle’s, the commercial kitchen in downtown Redding, Smith said.

There are plans to open a coffee cart at the East Street location. Customers also will be able to buy Feast Chocolate and Glow goodies there.

More: The Buzz: These Downtown Redding café owners will bring The Lost Supper Club. Rosé closed?

Smith said the plan to convert the former roasting space inside Evergreen into more customer seating.

"If you ever come here on the weekends, it's tough to find a spot to sit," he said.

Buzz 20th birthday bash next month

Here is another reminder that next month marks the 20th anniversary of Buzz on the Street.

Myself and former Record Searchlight business reporter Marc Beauchamp started the weekly column in May 2004, which, for perspective, was two months before the Sundial Bridge opened.

The Record Searchlight will host a community event to commemorate the occasion.

The May 9 program on the second floor of the IOOF Hall in downtown Redding will include mixer and a Q&A with myself and other Record Searchlight journalists.

Admission is free, but advance reservations are required as seating is limited. Go to Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/4hpdbmwj to request a free ticket.

To submit questions for me and the others to answer, please email RRSEdit@redding.com.

Hope to see you there.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: The Buzz: Why Taj Mahal restaurant in Redding says it's struggling