In The News – Tahoe’s Sage Leaf restaurant to open in Reno’s old Laughing Planet location
September 19, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published by KUNR at Lake Tahoe, 09/19/2025, Written by Maria Palma
A restaurant in Incline Village is joining a growing trend of Tahoe businesses making it down the mountain. Sage Leaf is expanding into Midtown Reno this fall.
It’s afternoon at Sage Leaf, a cozy restaurant nestled along Tahoe Boulevard. Behind the counter, chef and owner Shane Hammett flips a burger. Its toasted bun is stamped with the restaurant’s logo, a small touch, but one that says a lot.
Sage Leaf is a family-run restaurant that has become a local staple over the past five years. Shane and his wife Lara, originally from Northern California, had a dream of moving to Tahoe to settle down.
“We would talk about it and fantasize about opening a restaurant together, and we just were, I guess, scared to take that huge leap of faith in doing that, because it’s scary opening a business,” she said.