“It’s not about making money. It’s not about becoming millionaires. … We just love what we do. And we want to be able to have a positive impact and be a positive influence in the community.”
By Maggie Miles ● Business ● July 17, 2024
After a decade of working at Native Foods, the local vegan eatery that opened in 1994 and expanded into a popular vegan chain spanning six states, Misti Rausch and Sean Reynolds saw it as more than just a job – it was a way of life. Their passion for providing vegan food and educating the community was so evident that many of their patrons assumed they were the owners.
So when the owner of the chain came to them in September of last year with the news that the chain was going out of business and offered them the chance to buy the original Palm Springs location, Rausch and Reynolds knew they had to find a way to save the restaurant.
“For us, the only option was to keep it going. We definitely didn’t want to close it down and lose our jobs, have our team lose their jobs, and have everybody lose this restaurant that has been beloved in the community for 30 years,” says Rausch.
They had six weeks to get everything together or the restaurant — tucked into the corridors of Smoke Tree Village off East Palm Canyon Drive in South Palm Springs — would be shut down. After draining their personal finances, working out a deal with the owner that would allow them to make payments on the business over time, and a GoFundMe largely supported by the local vegan community, Rausch and Reynolds successfully made the purchase.
According to Marilyn Ramos, founder of the group Vegan Eats – Palm Springs and Beyond, who hold weekly meetings at the restaurant, helping Rausch and Reynolds to keep the community’s first vegan restaurant, and still only one of two fully vegan restaurants in the community, was a no-brainer.
“It means a lot to the local vegan community,” says Ramos, emphasizing the importance of a restaurant and owners who are completely dedicated to the mission. “I call it compassionate cuisine, but compassionate cuisine that’s accessible to everyone.”
But with the rapid transfer came unexpected challenges. Rausch and Reynolds hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be to separate their system from the corporate system of the large chain. With the corporate offices no longer in existence, they were locked out of certain accounts and lost the bulk discount from buying goods and produce that came with being part of a large chain, significantly increasing their costs.
Then, in June of this year, they were hit with massive electrical and AC issues and the large repair bills that go along with that. Again, the local vegan community stepped up to help with the costs.
Despite that, Rausch and Reynolds, both Palm Springs natives, are hopeful for the future and have big plans for taking the restaurant back to its local roots and giving back to the local community. According to Rausch, the restaurant used to have a very balanced menu, with healthy options and convenient junk food options.
During Covid-19, the corporate offices changed the menu to more of the less healthy options to make the mandatory take-out menu more do-able, and the menu never recovered. Rausch felt like they lost customers who missed the healthier, whole food options. She and Reynolds are in the process of bringing those back. They’re also partnering with the Palm Springs Animal Shelter and hope to partner animal sanctuaries and shelters in the future.
“That’s what it means for us,” says Rausch. “It’s not about making money. It’s not about becoming millionaires. That’s never gonna happen. And, you know, we’re not trying to buy more restaurants. We’re not trying to create an empire. We just love what we do. And we want to be able to have a positive impact and be a positive influence in the community.”
One thing they are proud of is that throughout it all they haven’t had to lay off any of their employees and pay them a higher wage than what they were paid before the change in ownership. Many of their employees are friends, neighbors, and fellow members of the vegan community.
“I’ve seen Misti and Sean as friends, then as coworkers and now co-owners of this amazing little place, and I’ve seen them evolve as the restaurant has evolved. And through it all, I’ve seen two people who are incredibly passionate about good and accessible vegan food… I’ve seen them put sweat and tears into keeping this Palm Springs institution thriving, and I’m continually amazed,” says Native Foods employee Orin Shepherd. “I know they’ve had headaches in making Native Foods their own, as all small business owners do, but they’re making it happen. And I never doubted them for a second.”
