Big Dipper bringing ice cream back to former Chunky Monkey site
David Rader, who is reopening the former Chunky Monkey ice cream location on Andersonville Highway as The Big Dipper ice cream and diner, shows the hot dog machine the diner will use. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
That will bring back to life the small white building along Andersonville Highway close to East Norris Road, which had operated as an ice cream shop and a diner for many years.
David Rader of Maynardville, whose family previously operated a Dairy Queen, will be the owner of the new business, at 139 Little Senator Circle.
Rader said last week that he plans to have The Big Dipper open within the next month, and that it would offer “46 flavors of ice cream,” along with locally sourced Angus beef hamburgers, hot dogs, and other diner fare.
And unlike the Chunky Monkey that closed after 13 years in that location, The Big Dipper will be open year-round, not just during the warm season, Rader said.
“We plan to be there from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week,” he said.
“While we won’t have any inside dining, we will have picnic tables outside, and things for people to do, such as cornhole and horseshow games,” he said. “We intend for it to be a gathering spot for the community.”
Rader said he lived near Walmart in Clinton for 10 years, until recently, and was always a fan of the Chunky Monkey, and especially its banana splits.
“We’re going to be just like the Chunky Monkey was,” he said.
He and his family are originally from Summersville, West Virginia, which is adjacent to Summersville Lake, a popular tourist destination like Norris Lake.
“We had the Dairy Queen in Summersville for a long time,” he said.
His dad, Dave Rader, who also lives in Maynardville, is helping him get The Big Dipper ready to open.
The longtime owner of the Chunky Monkey, Angela “Angie” Litton, told The Courier News in October 2024 that she was closing the ice cream shop, and would not be renewing her lease.
“I’m ready to move on; I’m tired and I’m exhausted,” she said at the time.
She sold what was left of the business to Troy Shafer, who moved it to 303 Market Street in Clinton. Shafer opened that location in April 2025, then closed for the season in the fall.
Shafer reopened that store this spring, but under a new name, Pearl City Creamery. He said there were trademark issues with the Chunky Monkey name, which is also the registered name for an ice cream flavor made by Ben & Jerry’s.
