The popular downtown Palm Springs restaurant and bar Oscar’s is on the brink of closure once again. And owner Dan Gore is blaming a dispute with the company running the neighboring Plaza Theatre, entertainment industry powerhouse Oak View Group.
On Wednesday, July 8, Oscar’s was served with a notice to either pay the roughly $130,032 the business owes in rent or leave the property by Monday, July 13.
Gore says he does not have the funds to pay back landlord Grit Development. Since the Plaza Theatre and Oscar’s share connected buildings, he told The Desert Sun he hoped to earn extra income by partnering with the Plaza Theatre on special events and backstage access. He saw that as a natural continuation of events he had hosted for the Plaza Theatre Foundation, which raised money to renovate the historic theater.
But such a partnership did not emerge when the Plaza Theatre reopened in November 2025. Gore says operator Oak View Group is purposefully ignoring his business so they can take over the space when he closes, a claim Oak View Group denies.
“Oak View group is so pissed off that I didn’t bend over and give them all my space, that they basically cut me out of any deals,” Gore said. “In the end, they want the space and they don’t want me here.”
Oak View Group challenged Gore’s description of their conduct. In a statement, the company said Gore wanted Oak View Group to buy him out of his lease, which they declined. Although they say they offered to grant Oscar’s a “preferred vendor status” as well as other perks like promotion for Oscar’s shows, the negotiations ceased after that point in November 2024.
“Mr. Gore’s issue is between him and his landlord, GRIT development,” John Bolton, general manager for the theater and senior vice president for Oak View Group, wrote in a statement to The Desert Sun “Mr. Gore also pushed the Plaza Theatre to purchase his business and buy out his lease. The Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation saw no benefit in purchasing the business and declined the offer. The Plaza Theatre Foundation was focused on raising money to restore the theatre, not raising funds to buy an adjacent restaurant/bar/club.”
In response, Gore said his offer to sell his lease to Oak View Group came toward the end of business negotiations that had not gone well.
Conflicting stories
At the heart of the dispute is an understanding Gore said he had reached between prior management of the Plaza Theatre and Oscar’s. Prior to the renovation, he said he catered multiple fundraising events for the Plaza Theatre Foundation, which organized the multi-million-dollar update.
He signed a new lease in 2022 with the belief his company would be used for catering services as well as space for Plaza Theatre events. The two entities share a wall, and one of the rooms now occupied by Oscar’s was used by the Palm Springs Follies for rehearsals.
“I always said I would do whatever they wanted. But I’m gonna control this space,” Gore said. “But no, they wanted me to turn over the space for free tickets to shows.”
Former Palm Springs City Councilmember and Plaza Theatre Foundation President J.R. Roberts disputed parts of Gore’s account, saying the foundation had used Oscar’s for catering events in the early days of fundraising before the two parties amicably parted ways.
Communication between Oscar’s and the foundation has been negligible in the years since, according to Roberts, who expressed shock at Gore’s accusations when asked by a reporter.
“Blaming his potential closing on us not using him is just ridiculous,” he said. “He wasn’t reliant on any income from us because he wasn’t working with us.”
The rise of Oak View Group
The dispute with Oscar’s comes at a time when Oak View Group’s influence across the Coachella Valley is growing. The Denver-based company manages and owns venues across the world, earning billions through tickets sales and hospitality services.
The company owns Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, as well as the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and has a contract with the city of Palm Springs to manage both the Plaza Theatre and the Palm Springs Convention Center. They recently sparked controversy by replacing the longtime convention center caterer with an Oak View Group subsidiary.
The Palm Springs City Council debated the issue for around six hours over two meetings in June before awarding a catering contract to the firm linked to Oak View Group.
For Gore, the debate symbolized the difficulties small businesses like his are facing as a multinational conglomerate like Oak View Group become more prominent in the Coachella Valley.
“I just feel like I’m being bulldozed left and right,” he said. “It’s very similar to David versus Goliath.”
But Oak View Group says it works with local businesses to ensure a healthy local economy, especially in Palm Springs.
“Supporting local business isn’t just something we do: it’s woven into the very fabric of how we operate day to day,” Bolton wrote in the statement. “Whenever and wherever possible, we make it a deliberate priority to look first within our own backyard, the Coachella Valley, before we look anywhere else.”
Business struggles
This is the second time in less than a year Oscar’s has had to confront the prospect of closure. In November 2025, Gore held a fundraiser raising $35,736 when low revenue forced him to fall behind on rent. At the time, he blamed a poor economy and less tourism from Canada for the slowdown.
Since it opened in 2013, Oscar’s has become a popular LGBTQ attraction. Its weekend brunches featuring drag queens and tea dances regularly attract dozens of visitors downtown.
But now, summer has returned and business has slowed once again. Gore hopes to save his business again, but he said he wants the community to know how he reached this point.
“This brand has been here 13 years,” he said. “We don’t have to get along, but we definitely can make money together.”
Sam Morgen covers local government for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Oscar’s in Palm Springs faces closure and blames Oak View Group
Reporting by Sam Morgen, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sam Morgen, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
