‘Vanderpump Rules’: What Restaurants and Bars Does Tom Sandoval Own?
Tom Sandoval is one of the original cast members of Vanderpump Rules. The Bravo series began as a look into the lives of those who worked at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant, Sur.
The show has taken off, and the mostly former Sur servers and bartenders have become celebrities.
Sandoval has been caught up in drama over the years. However, nothing compares to the storm he has created now with cast member Raquel Leviss. The question is — what effect will this have on his restaurants?
What happened between Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss?
Tom Sandoval has been in what was thought to be a happy, stable relationship with his girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix.
Leviss recently ended her engagement to longtime love and Sandoval’s friend, James Kennedy.
The current season of Vanderpump Rules began with drama centering around an attraction, and ultimate kiss, between Sandoval’s bestie, Tom Schwartz and Leviss. To say that Katie Maloney, Schwartz’s recent ex-wife, was unhappy about that situation is an understatement.
That story was nothing compared to what was about to happen. Leviss was appearing on Watch What Happens Live when she told Andy Cohen that she thought Sandoval was cuter than Schwartz. The look of surprise was apparent on Cohen’s face and fellow cast member Scheana Shay’s.
On the same night back in LA, Madix was watching her boyfriend perform with his band when she reportedly saw a history of inappropriate texts on his phone from her “friend” Leviss. It turns out that the two had been having an affair for months.
Madix ended her relationship with Sandoval, and the whole thing is now a huge scandal.
What bars and restaurants does Tom Sandoval own?
After working with the Toms for years at Sur, Lisa Vanderpump had an idea. She liked the name TomTom for a restaurant, and she also liked Sandoval and Schwartz.
According to Reality Blurb, Tom and Tom agreed to a 10% partnership deal which was said to be a non-binding agreement. The restaurant opened in August 2018 and has been a great success.
Coming off one hit restaurant, the Toms decided to give it another go. Their next venture, Schwartz and Sandy’s, opened on Nov. 2, 2022, after costing $1 million to get off the ground, as per Reality Tidbit. LVP wasn’t involved this time, but the guys had two other partners, and Tom Sandoval’s parents invested $250K into the establishment.
Sandoval asks fans not to boycott his restaurants
Not only is Madix reportedly furious over the cheating scandal, but so is the rest of the cast of Pump Rules and the fans. Some are even calling for a boycott of his restaurants.
Sandoval took to Instagram to make an appeal. “Hey, I fully understand and deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends, and family out of this situation … Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing,” he wrote on March 4.
He went on, “Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families. Just like TomTom, I’m a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong.”
He then went into an apology, “Im so sorry that my partners, Greg, Brett, and Schwartz, and our employees have to suffer for my actions,” he stated. “I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners. I need some time to address everything else. Sorry for everything.”
Fans and castmates were angry that he apologized to everyone except Ariana Madix. He did make another Instagram post three days later and apologized to Madix.
