TRUCKEE/TAHOE BASIN, Calif. — From Sage Leaf to Tahoe Bagel Co. and FiftyFifty Brewing Co., several Truckee/Tahoe-based restaurants are expanding beyond the Truckee-Tahoe region. For some owners, the decision reflects business realities, with Reno offering opportunities the lake can’t.
“In Incline, we’re three lights long — we’re very small,” said Lara Hammett, owner of Sage Leaf. “We only have so many restaurants here and so many spaces that can even house a restaurant. We’ve kind of maxed out our footprint, and we don’t really want to compete with ourselves.”
Hammett said the team considered expanding to Kings Beach, Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe, but as a Nevada-based business, opening a location in California would have meant navigating a new regulatory environment. Instead, they decided to move away from the lake. Sage Leaf is set to open a Reno location next month.
“Reno is our closest large metropolis, and it’s a much bigger market than Incline,” Hammett said. “While there’s still some seasonality, it’s far less. From a hiring standpoint, almost every application we get when we post a position in Incline — especially back of house — comes from Reno.”
That staffing reality, combined with Tahoe’s limited commercial real estate, has made Reno an increasingly attractive option for successful mountain-town businesses.
“I would think these expansions have to do with initial success and subsequent opportunity-seeking in close but different-enough markets,” said Jack Carrico, director of advising and Northern Nevada manager at the Nevada Small Business Development Center.
“For Tahoe-to-Reno expansions, we help business owners think carefully about the differences in markets,” Carrico said. “Tahoe may have more tourists as customers, while Reno tends to have more locals. That transition can be appealing for owners looking for more normalized monthly income.”
In addition to Sage Leaf, many other businesses have made the basin to Reno jump, including Inclined Burgers and Brews, Lake Tahoe AleWorX, Sprouts Natural Cafe, Great Gold, Drink Coffee Do Stuff and Coffeebar. Biggest Little Steakhouse, Dopo and Brews Brothers also have a presence in both locations, although those restaurants started in Reno first.
FiftyFifty Brewing Co. is another Truckee-based business preparing to open a Reno location, citing similar factors.
“Tahoe is exceptionally hard because of seasonality, both as an employee and employer,” said Alicia Barr, owner of FiftyFifty Brewing Co. “In Reno, you don’t see those big lows as often. You have a more built-in, year-round business model, which makes things easier from a staffing perspective and even from a supply-chain standpoint.”
However, for Jeffrey Kaplan, owner of Tahoe Bagel in South Lake Tahoe, seasonality is not a deterrent — it is one of the defining elements he appreciates about doing business in Tahoe. Kaplan said fluctuations in tourism were not a motivating factor in the decision to expand to Reno. Instead, the move was driven by Nevada’s more favorable environment for small business owners.
“Nevada is more small-business friendly, from a property tax standpoint to some of the state requirements,” Kaplan said.
When considering expansion, Kaplan said the primary motivation was moving into Nevada and to access a larger market. Tahoe Bagel Co. initially explored opening locations in Gardnerville and Carson City, but ultimately chose Reno due to its broader customer base and greater overall market potential.
Still, shop owners have emphasized that expanding east doesn’t mean leaving home behind.
“Truckee is home, and Truckee will always be our flagship location,” Barr said. “Truckee-Tahoe isn’t the easiest place to live or do business, but we all choose to live here because we love it so much. You do what it takes to make it work.”
Hammett echoed that sentiment, pointing to the close-knit nature of the Tahoe community.
“We have such a strong sense of community here,” she said. “People recommend us because they know us. Everyone really has each other’s backs and wants small businesses and families to succeed.”
