Lisa Vanderpump Is a Restaurant Mogul Bringing Fabulous Fun to Haute Cuisine

Prior to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, were already well-established restauranteurs. Prior to her career in the restaurant industry, Lisa was an actress and did a film released in 1973 called A Touch of Class. She starred in various other TV shows before her career shift. She and Ken relocated from the U.K. to Los Angeles, where they launched more restaurants, bringing their blend of fun with haute cuisine to the U.S.

The success Lisa found in the cast of RHOBH led her to get her own spinoff focused on her restaurant, SUR. Vanderpump Rules became a massive success, and thanks to things like Scandoval, SUR has become a hot destination for Bravo fans. SUR and TomTom are two of the primary restaurants shown in Vanderpump Rules, but they are certainly not the only restaurants on the Vanderpump roster. In fact, Lisa and Ken have owned over 30 restaurants and currently own six that are either open or close to opening.

The most famous restaurants under the Vanderpump banner are SUR and TomTom, both of which are heavily featured in Vanderpump Rules. SUR stands for “sexy, unique restaurant,” and it certainly does deliver on the sexy. TomTom was created after Lisa became inspired by the bartending skills of Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz, who also created the drink menu. SUR and TomTom have a sexy yet sophisticated air about them, with TomTom having a more youthful vibe to SUR’s international atmosphere.

In addition to SUR and TomTom, Lisa Vanderpump owned two other restaurants in Los Angeles that have closed recently. Villa Blanca, which had been open for 12 years prior to its closure, fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic just like countless others. Pump survived the pandemic but closed in July 2023. Lisa shared her reasons for closing the restaurant in a Season 11 episode of Vanderpump Rules, acknowledging an increase in costs as well as her husband’s desire to retire.

Lisa owns two restaurants that are open in Las Vegas, Nev., all bearing the Vanderpump name. Vanderpump à Paris is a Parisian-themed restaurant, and the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden is the perfect place to stop by when gambling in Caesar’s Palace. In addition to those, Lisa has two more restaurants opening up soon. Pinky’s by Vanderpump is set to open in the summer of 2024, and Wolf by Vanderpump will be Lisa’s first restaurant in Lake Tahoe. The opening dates have not yet been confirmed.

Lisa and Ken first began their business in London. They owned three places, including Shadow Lounge SoHo and Jewel, both of which are closed. Their third restaurant, Bar SoHo, is still open for business. In addition to the U.K., Lisa plans on expanding their brand to France in Chateau Rosabelle, where she’ll open Vanderpump Villa for her elite guests. That restaurant will be featured in a new Hulu series of the same name, produced by Lisa, who also handpicked the staff/cast members.