‘Vanderpump Rules’ Fans Boycott Tom Sandoval’s Restaurants Amid Cheating Scandal
Despite being a Vanderpump Rules fan who’s never set foot on the West Coast, I’m fully aware that the Bravo show’s featured restaurants are basically West Hollywood landmarks. Since at least 2013, when the show premiered, fans and other celebrities have flocked to Lisa Vanderpump’s various dining establishments, most notably its home base SUR. The hope is that they’ll bump into Vanderpump, her husband/business partner Ken Todd, and/or the show’s famously messy cast.
Now an Earth-shattering cheating scandal involving original cast member Tom Sandoval is threatening to change that for at least two establishments associated with the reality series: Tom Tom Restaurant and Bar and the newly opened Schwartz & Sandy’s Lounge, both of which the 39-year-old co-owns with close friend and fellow castmate Tom Schwartz.
Following the shocking revelation last week that Sandoval had cheated on his longtime partner (and castmate) Ariana Madix with newer cast member Raquel Leviss, fans flooded the restaurants’ Yelp pages and social media accounts with angry comments. Things got so bad, apparently, that Schwartz & Sandy’s posted a statement on its Instagram on Sunday, asking fans to consider the restaurant’s other staff. In his first public response to the affair—before he released a formal apology to Madix—Sandoval shared a letter on his Instagram urging aggrieved commenters to leave his businesses alone. (This did not go over well.)