"We want to be THE neighborhood country club that doesn't require a membership fee." That line comes from a proposal submitted to Los Angeles Recreation and Parks on November 13, 2025, by the team now running food and drink at Rancho Park Golf Course. The same proposal says the operators plan to bring in "a large pool of neighbors as investors and co-owners."
The clubhouse at 10460 W. Pico Blvd. won't serve full meals for a while yet. City documents filed this year already lay out what it will become, what it will serve and what it won't be allowed to do. Much of that was decided with Cheviot Hills and Rancho Park residents in mind.
The previous food concession agreement at the golf course was terminated on July 7, 2026. Since then, the new operator, 10460 Rancho LLC, which calls itself The Rancho, has been providing vending machine service. It's also getting the halfway house and the driving range bar ready for interim service while the clubhouse is rebuilt.
The city's own estimate is that the clubhouse and restaurant buildout will take "one year or more." The same September report puts full restaurant service in 2027 or 2028. The Rancho's website, the-rancho.com, shows only a logo and gives no opening date or hours.
The space has history. City records show the Shimazaki family ran the golf course restaurant concession starting in February 1980. Rancho Golf Restaurant, Inc. took over on February 1, 2010. For many locals the coffee shop was simply Rancho Park Gardens.
A September 17, 2026 report to the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners recommends a short-term agreement with The Rancho, subject to City Attorney approval of the agreement's form. The proposed agreement covers a driving range outdoor bar, a temporary mobile kitchen, a halfway snack stand on the course and related storage.
The menu described in that report is more ambitious than a range snack bar:
As proposed, the agreement would run three years or until the 10-year contract is signed, whichever comes first. The Rancho may put up to $500,000 into approved improvements to the halfway house, the driving range restrooms and the outdoor bar, and may add a patio next to them. Mobile carts and kiosks are allowed. Amplified sound, meaning house music or a TV, needs the department's approval first.
One detail shapes what any of this can look like. The city's historic resource assessment found that the Halfway House is a contributing element of Rancho Park's historic fabric. The Driving Range Bar and the restrooms are not. Any capital improvement the operator proposes has to go back to the board for approval. So the course's most familiar small building is the one that stays most protected.
The Rancho's key people are named in the proposal as Mark Chesler, Oscar Hermosillo and Dan Spitz. The team's track record is a few miles west, at the city's Penmar Golf Course on the Venice and Mar Vista border.
According to Westside Current, Hermosillo and his partners began converting Penmar's coffee shop in 2019. They gave it mid-century décor, a revamped patio and scratch-made food, and aimed it at the wider community as well as golfers. In a 2021 interview with FORE, Chesler said the audience they had in mind was locals, golfers, neighbors and families.
The Penmar today runs a weekly schedule. Friday Sunset Sessions bring local live music, cocktails and wood-fired pizza, with doors at 4 p.m. and bands from 5:30 to 9 p.m. A late-September 2026 listing advertised Monday trivia, Friday live music, and college football, NFL, MLB and soccer on outdoor jumbotrons. LAist's June 2026 World Cup guide listed it as the host of official France watch parties, with two large screens and lawn seating.
The concerts grew large. The Argonaut reported that during the 2023 season, Sunset Sessions grew from a small gathering to about 2,000 people a week, and that nearby neighbors raised concerns about parking and noise.
The Penmar's growth is the clearest guide to how Rancho Park's plans differ. When the city selected The Rancho on January 15, 2026, the staff report noted that the Westside Neighborhood Council and nearby residents wanted sound, especially in the evening, handled "in a sensitive and thoughtful manner." As a result, the report says, "large outdoor events are not being proposed." The number of indoor private events will be set during contract negotiations, with final approval by the board and input from Council District 5 and community stakeholders.
The report also notes that The Rancho "understands this project has completely different needs" from Penmar.
The hours are written into the city's terms too. The request for proposals requires the concession to open 15 minutes before sunrise and stay open until sunset, closing no later than 10:30 p.m. For anyone whose morning loop passes the course, that early-opening rule matters more than any dinner menu.
"The Rancho will embrace its historic California mission-style ranch roots, revitalizing its existing charm with a modern facelift. The food will be fresh, affordable and cooked in an open kitchen over live flames."
The permanent plan, as summarized by city staff, is "an elevated open-fire steakhouse, sports-oriented bar, and community venue." It calls for fire-grilled proteins, a California mission-style look, a kitchen with a visible open flame and several points of sale, including a roving cart. The operator's own letter describes it as a 365-day café as well.
The work is split between the city and the operator:
The proposal also includes a flexible indoor event space that could hold overflow restaurant seating, private events and larger community gatherings. Under the noise terms above, that indoor room is where the neighborhood's events would take place.
The clubhouse isn't the only local gathering spot going on pause this season. The Palms–Rancho Park Branch Library at 2920 Overland Avenue will close for painting from October 19, 2026, through February 7, 2027. Before it closes, the branch is hosting "Trivia Night: Spooky Edition!" for adults on Tuesday, October 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Some things carry on as usual. Cheviot Hills Recreation Center has Fall 2026 flag football, volleyball, soccer and basketball leagues, along with a fall class brochure. It has also posted a flyer for its "2026 Halloween - Mad Monster Mash & Movie Night," though the date wasn't visible in the public listing. On Sundays, the Motor Avenue Farmers Market runs year-round from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 10420 National Blvd. at Motor.
Until the driving range bar opens, the clubhouse's next chapter exists mainly in two board reports. Both are public on the Recreation and Parks website: the January 15 selection report and the September 17 interim agreement report. The number of indoor private events, the last open question about how the clubhouse will fit into the neighborhood, is still being negotiated with Council District 5 and community stakeholders.
At Davis + Burns Group, we follow changes like this one at Rancho Park because a neighborhood gathering spot can shape daily life on the blocks around it. If you live near the course and want to talk about what the new clubhouse could mean for your home, we're glad to share what we're seeing. Work With Us.
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