A Statement from Palm Springs Plaza Theatre

July 8, 2026

PALM SPRINGS, CA (July 8, 2026) Dan Gore and Oscar's have recently launched a social media campaign leveling accusations against the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre, Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, Oak View Group, and the City of Palm Springs.

These accusations originated from concerns Mr. Gore raised to The Desert Sun, which contacted us yesterday for comment on a story with a deadline of July 8, 2026 at 3:00pm. Before we could submit our response to the paper, Mr. Gore chose to make his accusations public via social media without first contacting us with his concerns.

We are now releasing our full response, including email correspondence from 2024 that documents our good-faith effort to establish a business relationship with Mr. Gore. Mr. Gore declined that offer a few days later.

Background

OVG & The Plaza Theatre Foundation met with Oscars Ownership Group in October of 2024. The Plaza Theatre wished to use the former Green Room space the Follies used in the past (that is owned by GRIT Development and leased to Oscars). The Plaza Theatre wanted to sublease this space from Oscars. Oscars was unwilling to sublease the Green Room space instead demanding The Plaza Theatre (or his landlord Grit) buy out his entire complete business lease. Grit offered to exchange the Green Room space for other space GRIT had available, but that option was rejected by Oscars. During this process, the Plaza Theatre offered the following generous partnership to Oscars to help their specific business: “We stand committed to our offer to help you and your business in the following ways:

A “Preferred Caterer Status” for Plaza Events/Plaza Theatre
Offer to promote and sell pre-show dinners at Oscar’s
Waiving part of rental fee to use the Plaza Theatre for Oscar’s promoted shows/events”

Would the Plaza Theatre benefit from using some of the rooms at Oscar's for staging shows?

One of the beautiful challenges that comes with hosting large-scale performances such as symphonies and choirs in a historic theatre is finding space that can rise to meet the scale of the groups involved. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, we’ve chosen to see it as an opportunity to deepen our ties downtown. That’s why we work closely with the wonderful team at the Wellwood Library to activate their courtyard, a beautiful space that sits adjacent to The Plaza. It’s a partnership we’re proud of as it allows us to extend our footprint thoughtfully and celebrates a beloved neighboring institution.
Is the backstage space at the Plaza Theatre big enough to accommodate all acts that wish to perform?

A historic theatre is always in need of space. With this in mind, we expanded our footprint with a local business to include a former storefront on Indian Canyon for our green room, an additional dressing room, and equipment storage which has gotten rave reviews from artists and groups performing on the Plaza Stage.
How would you describe OVG's working relationship with Oscar's?

Our job at the Plaza Theatre is to create events and content that drive patrons to all downtown Palm Springs businesses. Our goal was to host 120 events per year, and the Plaza Theatre has already exceeded that goal in just the first 5 months of operation (December – April). As mentioned above the Plaza Theatre offered various ways the Plaza Theatre could directly engage Oscars, but that offer was declined. Broadly, we see ourselves as part of the same downtown ecosystem. As with all our neighbors, we prioritize open communication and mutual support. For example, we partner with Lulu's, Farm, and Clandestino so that ticket purchasers can pre-purchase dinners through Ticketmaster, and we offer pre-paid valet parking with Hotel Zoso. These packages help drive patron spend into local businesses while guests are downtown for a show at The Plaza. We also partner with Canopy Wine Lounge in offering their specific wines to our patrons. In addition, we also have local vendors that provide candy (Brittlehouse) and popcorn (Kettlemitas) both made locally at the Plaza Theatre Concession Areas.
Do you have a response to the claims that OVG has avoided working with Oscar's to cause it to go out of business?

In an email dated November 7, 2024 we specifically offered Oscars the following ways to work together:
-As having “Preferred Caterer Status” for Plaza Events/Plaza Theatre
-Offering to promote and sell pre-show dinners at Oscar’s
-Waiving part of rental fee to the Plaza Theatre for Oscar’s promoted shows/events.

Dan Gore declined those offers on November 11, 2024.

In his response, Mr. Gore thanked us for our “genuine efforts” to work together and then asked OVG/Plaza Theatre Foundation to buy Oscar’s out of their lease. At that time his business was, unfortunately, already struggling as he said via email “Oscar’s cannot compete with other surrounding restaurants which leads me to know that I can’t rely on any speculative business revenues that I may receive from the theatre’s promotions.”

How does OVG work with local communities to ensure local business thrive alongside it?

Supporting local business isn't just something we do: it's woven into the very fabric of how we operate day to day. 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. This philosophy touches nearly every corner of what we do, from the food and beverage we serve our guests, to the larger-scale, more ambitious projects that bring our vision to life, like our custom neon sign backstage, a piece that was thoughtfully crafted by local hands and stands as a testament to the caliber of talent right here in our community. We believe that when we invest in our neighbors, we're investing in the long-term health, vibrancy, and character of the Valley as a whole, and that's a value we carry into every decision we make, big or small. In addition to the local partnerships mentioned above (question #3), we are tremendously proud to have worked with over 20 local community groups, non-profits, and organizations at the Plaza Theatre in just our first year of operation:

Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus
Palm Springs Jazz Festival
Palm Springs Unified School District
Modern Men: Coachella Valley Men’s Chorus
Coachella Valley Classical Voices
Musical Theatre University
Palm Springs Film Society
Friends of the Palm Springs Library
Westminster Chorus
Palm Springs Symphony
Modernism Week
Film Society of Screwball Comedy
Palm Springs Pops Orchestra
Adopt The Arts Foundation
Palm Springs Airport
City of Palm Springs
XOXO Palm Springs
Palm Springs Pride/Marilyn 100 Movie Festival
Desert Shakespeare Festival
Michelle Fiore/Desert Classical Series Fundraiser
International Classical Concerts of the Desert

Oscars has been in financial trouble for many years prior to the Plaza Theatre opening as evidenced by numerous media stories and appeals via Mr. Gore's 2025 Go Fund Me initiative. Mr. Gore’s issue is between him and his landlord, GRIT development. 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.

The Plaza Theatre opening has brought thousands of people to downtown Palm Springs and Oscars front door since its opening in December 2025. The Plaza Theatre’s successful opening has created tremendous success for downtown merchants with over 80,000 guests attending events, performing groups staying at local hotels most every night of the week.

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Added: July 8, 2026 5:02pm Desert Sun Article available here.