Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Schwartz, and Tom Sandoval kicked off a new chapter at their bar and restaurant.
Earlier this Season on Vanderpump Rules, viewers watched as Lisa Vanderpump made the heartbreaking decision to close Pump after a decade in business there. After she said goodbye to her beloved restaurant, she turned her focus to enhancing Tom Tom, the bar she owns with Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval.
“Tom Tom will never be Pump, and nor would we want it to be. It’s got a very different aesthetic,” Lisa explained on Vanderpump Rules Season 11, Episode 12 as she, Schwartz, and Sandoval prepared for their first brunch service at Tom Tom. “But there’s no reason we can’t develop the restaurant part and add brunch to the menu. We want to keep that spirit [of Pump] alive.”
Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Schwartz, and Tom Sandoval bring brunch to Tom Tom
For the kickoff morning meal, Schwartz told Lisa he made a special drink to give shots to their customers. “Just for our first brunch, I wanted to get it poppin’ a little bit,” he said. “It’s reposado tequila, fresh watermelon juice, lime, [and] a little bit of basil.”
“Tom Tom brunch… is five years in the making,” Schwartz explained in an interview during the episode, which aired on April 16. “It’s not exactly how I envisi oned it with Pump on the other side, but you know what? This is a win. We got a great turnout. You know, I think this is going to be one of our biggest selling points moving forward.”
Lisa shared the same feeling, telling Ariana Madix, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Katie Maloney, and Ally Lewber, “I think it’s gonna be huge here. We’re just getting started.”
That group was already impressed with the brunch service, sampling what appears to be Tom Tom’s $36 steak and eggs board, which, according to the website, includes 11 oz hanger steak, two eggs, pico, Cremini mushroom, and steak fries.
Tom Sandoval reacts to the changes at Tom Tom
While Schwartz was on board with the changes at Tom Tom, Sandoval was initially a bit taken aback. On Episode 7 of Season 11, Lisa told Sandoval, “We’re gonna make this much more dining-oriented.”
Sandoval (who is a junior partner in the business along with Schwartz) wasn’t thrilled by the news. “It feels a little weird that this happened without either Schwartz [or] I knowing about it,” he said in an interview. In her own interview, Lisa declared, “I don’t think we would ever consult a 2.5% partner.”
Tom Schwartz gives an update on Tom Tom
In a recent interview with The Daily Dish, Schwartz shared “Tom Tom’s been thriving” and is “always crushing it.”
“The place runs itself, we have an incredible crew there,” he shared. “Max [Vanderpump-Todd] is our [general manager][…] and Logan is a manager as well — he’s really good friends with Ariana and [is] also one of my dear friends. It feels like family in there.”