Peter Madrigal Reveals How Different SUR Was Before ‘Vanderpump Rules’
When it comes to reality TV, few shows are as iconic as Vanderpump Rules. And for VPR fans, SUR, the restaurant where the show takes place, has become a familiar and iconic location. But have you ever wondered what SUR was like before the show started airing? Well, wonder no more! One of the original cast members, Peter Madrigal, recently spilled the tea on Kristen Doute’s podcast.
SUR has played a central part in ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Vanderpump Rules started airing in 2013, quickly becoming a phenomenon among reality TV fans. The show follows the lives of the staff at SUR, a trendy restaurant in West Hollywood owned by Lisa Vanderpump. Lisa is a former cast member of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
One of the reasons for VPR’s success is its cast of colorful and drama-filled characters, including Katie Maloney, Ariana Madix, Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, Charli Burnett, and Kristina Kelly, among others.
Throughout the years, VPR has provided viewers with an inside look at the lives of the cast members, including their friendships, romantic relationships, and professional endeavors. It has also showcased the restaurant’s daily operations, including the drama and chaos that often comes with working in the service industry.
The show’s success has had a significant impact on SUR, which, according to INSIDER, has become a destination for fans of the show. The restaurant’s popularity has increased, and is now one of the hottest spots in West Hollywood.
Peter Madrigal reveals how different SUR was before ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Madrigal, one of the original cast members of Vanderpump Rules and a longtime employee of SUR, recently gave some insight into what the restaurant was like before the show started airing. Appearing on Kristen Doute’s podcast, “Sex, Love, and What Else Matters,” Madrigal revealed that he started working at SUR in 2008, right after graduating from USC. This was a few years before VPR began.
According to Madrigal, SUR was a much smaller operation back then, with only about 12 employees. Doute, who worked at the restaurant for eight years, confirmed this, saying that it was a much smaller and more intimate environment. The two also revealed that SUR did not have a liquor license at the time, which meant that they could only serve beer and wine.
Madrigal also discussed how Doute was among the first people he met at the restaurant. Doute joined SUR in 2007, so she understood the restaurant’s operation better. According to Madrigal, Doute taught him a lot, from how to fold napkins to carrying glasses.
Peter Madrigal is the only original ‘VPR’ cast member who still works at SUR
When the first season of Vanderpump Rules came out in 2013, everyone on the major cast except Tom Schwartz worked at SUR. This made perfect sense, as the show’s premise centered on a group of attractive twenty-somethings navigating the drama that comes with working together in a West Hollywood restaurant.
Lisa Vanderpump once told Thrillist, “Part of the deal is if they’re working at the restaurant on the show, they have to work there legitimately.”
Today, most of the VPR cast members are successful enough that they no longer need to work at SUR. In fact, Madrigal is the only original cast member who continues to work at the restaurant. The longtime VPR star started out as a busboy, worked up to a server/bartender position, and is now in a managerial role. And despite the changes that have come with fame and fortune, he remains dedicated to SUR and has grown with the restaurant over the years.
