You don't have to watch Bravo to know Lisa Vanderpump.
Sure, the Bravolebrity debuted as a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2010 and spent nine seasons “wearing the crown,” but she's also a veteran restaurateur who owns and operates five restaurants, including two in Las Vegas (Vanderpump Cocktail Garden and Vanderpump à Paris) and SUR Restaurant and Lounge in West Hollywood—the inspiration for “Vanderpump Rules,” which premiered in 2013 and is still in production (currently airing its 11th season).
She also co-owns TomTom Restaurant and Bar and opened Wolf by Vanderpump in Lake Tahoe last month, which she says is more “curated” and “bespoke” with a menu created and changed for each season. And this summer, she'll open Pinky's by Vanderpump, a 7,000-square-foot Art Deco restaurant at the iconic Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
In addition to restaurants, Vanderpump also founded The Vanderpump Dog Foundation and the liquor brands Vanderpump Wines and Vanderpump Vodka all contribute to a massive Vanderpump empire.
“I just have a lot on my plate,” Vanderpump says entrepreneur. “You know, it's exciting for me, I'm happier this way.”
And then there is Vila. Although the British native has lived in Los Angeles for decade, her latest show, “Vanderpump Villa,” which is scheduled to premiere on Hulu on April 1, takes viewers (and Vanderpump) to France, where cameras roll as the staff of the exclusive and luxurious Chateau Rosabelle, which Vanderpump and her team created at the French Château St. Joseph for three weeks. for work (and play) in the middle of the French countryside.
Vanderpump says the show is “definitely complicated” because it combines a dozen young people living and working together with guests who control for their attitude.
“It's a beautiful show and it's an immersive experience,” Vanderpump says. “It was a lot of fun, it's a bit of an escape.”
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Still, the all-inclusive escape is the bread and butter of all Vanderpump-backed ventures — step into one of her restaurants and you'll feel like you've been transported to another land of whimsy and enchantment, or as Vanderpump calls it, “hell.” .”
For example, Vanderpump à Paris in Las Vegas, which was just voted the 11th most photographed restaurant in the US by Yelp usersit's located next to the vending machines in Caesar's Palace, but as soon as you enter you're transported to the streets of France with umbrella chandeliers, marble counters and lush velvet decorations.
“People don't pay enough attention to the environment – lighting is key,” she said.
Vanderpump says she doesn't have an assistant and is “hands-on with everything” in her projects.
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Another key to her growth is making each place unique, while also making the space an extension of who she is and what she would like for her place. After all, as her Season 3 Housewives tagline said, life isn't all diamonds and roses, but it should be.
“Of course, I'm a producer – I want beauty, I want excitement. I want great music, I want incredible flowers, I want great tablescapes. But I'd still like that in my life… It's always been like this before the cameras were on “, she says. “You always have to bring your own style to something, make it your own and make it different. I don't like corporate stuff. I love the feeling of unique experiences.”
But life has not been all gardens and roses. Viewers watched her friendships explode on “Housewives” before she left the show, and the Covid pandemic was “a nightmare” for Vanderpump's businesses, she says.
She had to close the doors of her favorite Hollywood spot (and first Los Angeles restaurant) Villa Blanca in March 2020 after 12 years in business, while her cocktail garden concept Pump closed its doors in 2023.
For Vanderpump, being a reality star has led to a built-in customer base for her businesses, but it also comes with the added responsibility of millions of eyes on niche media outlets and the resulting publicity for her (and her employees). being in the public eye.
Sometimes this is to her advantage, and sometimes, not so much.
“The competition is so fierce out there, it's not for the faint of heart,” she said. “You have to develop a thick skin. That's very, very important.”
However, there are a few rules that Vanderpump sticks to when it comes to business. First, you have to love what you do.
“I think if you're really doing something you love, the passion for it is your motivation,” she said while adding that sometimes life can be like a game of… tennis.
“If you don't like doing something, it's like playing tennis. If you like playing tennis, you'll run for that ball just because you want to hit it,” she thought. “But if you're not motivated, you're not excited about what you're doing, then you don't put the energy into it. Whereas the things I do, I'm excited. I don't care how long I work. I don't care how hard work. I will make it happen.”
But in the end, it's all about staying “focused.”
“If things go wrong, you learn from it. There's the good, the bad and the ugly, and everything's really not there,” she said. “Sometimes it's overwhelming. . . . If you really start and get at it, you'll be surprised how much you can achieve.”