Palm Springs' Classic Restaurants Changed Hands in 2026. Who Bought Them Matters This Season

When Billy Reed's went up for sale this year, the people who ended up buying it were already among its fans. "So many people around the world were shocked and terrified when it went on the market, and we are in that same group," new owner Josh Jennings told KESQ in August. "So to be able to be the ones to help keep it going for the next 50 is a huge honor."

The 2026-27 season starts with that same pattern across Palm Springs dining. Two long-running dining rooms went to buyers with existing ties to them, and both buyers have publicly promised continuity. Two restaurants with long histories closed. Nearly every new name on the season's list comes from an operator who already runs a successful place somewhere else.

Billy Reed's Went to Longtime Fans

Billy Reed founded his restaurant at 1800 N. Palm Canyon Drive in 1975. For most of the past half-century, KESQ noted, people have treated it as a gathering place as much as a place to eat. Josh Jennings is one of the new owners. According to the Coachella Valley Independent, which cited The Desert Sun's reporting, they are longtime fans of the restaurant and did not plan major changes.

In June, while the sale was still in escrow, the incoming owners laid out their plans in more detail to NBC Palm Springs. The signature touches, the longtime staff, the familiar menu favorites and the nostalgic atmosphere would all stay. They also planned to bring back some dishes that had been taken off the menu. The restaurant stayed open through escrow.

The menu items coming back are the most concrete promise in that list. They show the new owners plan to restore parts of the restaurant's history. The owners have also said they hope to hold a community celebration "later this year," and KESQ's August report did not give a date. So far, each of these commitments is a stated intention. Local reporting has not yet described what changed or stayed the same after the sale closed.

Spencer's Passed Along the Line It Came From

Spencer's history traces back to one man. In 2000, Harold Matzner took over a luncheonette operating at the Palm Springs Tennis Club, 701 W. Baristo Road, and turned it into Spencer's. He named it after his Siberian Husky and built it into a breakfast and lunch spot and dinner destination known for its tree-shaded patio. In June, the Harold Matzner Trust announced that Nachhattar Singh Chandi had taken ownership.

Chandi has a direct connection to Matzner's public life. As KESQ reported, Chandi founded Chandi Group USA and chairs the Palm Springs International Film Society, a role he took over when Matzner retired from it. That means the restaurant went to the person who had already succeeded Matzner at the film festival.

In its announcement, the Trust said the staff "was truly his family," and officials said no operational or staffing changes were planned. Chandi's own statement focused on the people in the dining room:

"I have so much appreciation and respect for the staff that has been with the restaurant for so many years, and I will work with them to continue the same excellence, warmth, and dedication which Harold instilled here."

Like the Billy Reed's plans, this is a public commitment, not something anyone has reported on since. Neither restaurant has had follow-up coverage of menu, hours or decor changes since the sales.

The Closures Followed a Different Path

Trio's history shows the other side of the pattern. It opened in 2009 next to The Shag Store in the Uptown Design District. Palm Springs Bites credits it with helping launch the district's revival and with popularizing farm-to-table dining in the city, at a time when Uptown was a quiet satellite to downtown. Uptown now has five of the city's eight Michelin-listed restaurants, according to the same outlet.

Co-founder Tony Marchese was closely tied to Trio's identity. He co-launched the CV Harvest Box farm-delivery service during the pandemic and served as co-producer of Palm Desert Food & Wine. Palm Springs Bites reports that he sold the restaurant about a year before it closed. Trio closed in August after 17 years. Its social media statement cited challenges across the restaurant industry and the difficulty of keeping operations going over the long term. The Desert Sun covered the closure on August 8.

Over the Rainbow Desserts, which had served Palm Springs for 16 years, is also on the Desert Sun's 2026 closures list, published at the end of June.

Alice B. is the one closure where the founders themselves decided to end the dining room. It sat inside the Living Out community at 1122 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken earned a 2026 Michelin Guide California mention there in May. In September, they announced the restaurant would not reopen for fall, and Feniger called the Michelin recognition "a fitting note on which to close this chapter."

The chefs are still working in the valley, though. NBC Palm Springs reported that Alice B. and Border Grill Catering will keep taking events across the desert cities. Thanksgiving dinners to finish at home are planned, with pre-order details still to come. Gertie's Salon & Bar, which stayed open through Alice B.'s summer closures, will keep operating at the site under Living Out's management.

The New Arrivals Come With Track Records

The openings on this season's list follow the same logic. Almost none of them come from first-time operators. Most are second locations or new concepts from groups that already have a hit somewhere else.

• Bird is the newest concept from F10 Hospitality, the group behind Mr. Lyon's. The cafe sits at the south end of Palm Canyon directly across from that flagship. It opened in late September, serving Onyx Coffee Lab espresso, matcha, chai, cold brew and pastries daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening hours and a wine program are expected as the season gets busier. Founder Tara Lazar named Seymour's, the speakeasy at Mr. Lyon's, after her father. Bird is named for her mother's nickname, and a red bird mural on Highway 111 marks the spot.
• Joe Coffee is a second location of a Provincetown cafe. Owners Mark Shaw and Glenn Siegmund are bringing it to 577 E. Sunny Dunes Road with house-made baked goods and community programming. According to the Palm Springs Tribune, the target opening is late December 2026.
• Charly's Neighborhood comes from the team behind Heyday Burger and is planned for 2455 N. Palm Canyon Drive. The owners have not announced the concept. People have speculated about pizza, but nothing has been confirmed.
• Guamúchil is a sushi and seafood restaurant from Coachella. It has announced a second location in the former IHOP at 471 S. Indian Canyon Drive.
• Luchador Brewing Company, at 250 S. Palm Canyon Drive, is the downtown taproom of a Cathedral City brewery. Nashville Country Kitchen & Bar, at 595 S. Palm Canyon Drive, is a family-run, women-run country kitchen with live music. Both appeared in the Desert Sun's July roundup of new restaurants.

The CV Independent also reported a small newcomer, Palm Asia Mart at 127 E. Amado Road, which sells made-to-order sushi to go along with ramen and packaged snacks.

Where Each Name Stands as the Season Opens

As of mid-October 2026, based on the most recent local reporting for each:

The Billy Reed's community celebration is the first event on this list that could put a date on the calendar. If it happens this year, it will also be the first public look at what the new owners kept.

At Desert Cities Home, we follow Palm Springs restaurant news the same way our clients do, because places like Spencer's patio and the Billy Reed's dining room are part of what owning a home here means. If you're wondering how this season's changes play into your own plans to buy or sell, we're happy to talk it over with you. Request a Free Home Valuation & Custom Marketing Plan.