Heavy/NBCUniversal Ariana Madix.
Tom Sandoval’s business partner spoke out about how Sandoval’s headline-making cheating scandal has affected business at their bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, and about his missing Sandoval’s ex, Ariana Madix.
In a video interview with a fan, restaurant owner Greg Morris said his business was thrust into the “Vanderpump Rules” cheating scandal before revealing that he misses Madix more than Sandoval.
Here’s what you need to know:
Greg Morris Praised Ariana Madix Following Scandoval
GettyAriana Madix of “Vanderpump Rules.”
In June 2023, Morris chatted with @Thebravomom TikTok account and gave an update on how things are going post-Scandoval. “I never watched the show until I was involved, so I’m getting a crash course in the unreality of reality television,” Morris said.
Morris then revealed that he would “very much” rather have Madix on his team than Sandoval. “The thing that probably makes us the most sad is Ariana was the best business partner we never had,” Morris said. “She was amazing. She supported this place and was here all the time; she did so much more than Tom did. And she was such an integrated part of this place for us, that we really felt like when this happened, we lost her. That was really a sad thing.”
Morris said he planned to support Something About Her, Madix’s upcoming West Hollywood sandwich shop with Katie Maloney. “Her projects and everything that’s going for her — we’re so happy for her and I want to see her thrive and succeed because she’s a good person,” Morris said of Madix. “I can’t wait until they open up the sandwich shop, and I’m gonna go there and support her. She supported this business, she supported me, and I want to do the same for her because I think that she deserves it. And it’s a really rotten thing to happen on a national level like that.”
Morris also slammed Sandoval later in the interview, saying that he had received nasty text messages, voicemails, emails and DMs despite not knowing about Sandoval’s affair. “We didn’t see any of that stuff,” he said of Sandoval’s behavior. “We were just as disgusted by it as everybody else.”
Morris said he hoped patrons would give Schwartz & Sandy’s a chance and “see that it’s not about one person” and that so many others make things happen there. “Let’s cut out the bad and focus on the good,” he said.
Schwartz & Sandy’s Lounge opened in November 2022 in Los Angeles’ Franklin Village neighborhood, near Hollywood, just three months before Sandoval made headlines when his affair with costar Raquel Leviss was exposed. The bar, which Sandoval co-owns with Morris and “Vanderpump Rules” castmate Tom Schwartz, was immediately hit with backlash.
In an Instagram post shortly after his affair was revealed, Sandoval reminded followers that while Schwartz & Sandy’s has his name on it, “there are 3 other partners and 20 employees” who “rely on the restaurant for income.” He begged people to direct their anger toward him and not the bar, announcing that he would be stepping away from the business for a while.
Greg Morris Expressed Concerns About Working With Tom Sandoval Early On
GettyTom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.
Morris’ involvement in Schwartz & Sandy’s was detailed in season 10 of “Vanderpump Rules,” which will air the season finale on June 14.
According to LA Girl, Morris and his wife, Jolane Rae, have an LLC called Victor Square, which held the commercial lease to the Schwartz & Sandy’s property, located at 1917 N. Bronson Ave. in Los Angeles. Morris is a well-known restaurant owner (The Belmont Lounge, Franklin & Company Local Tavern) and was not only the holder of the commercial lease but also the liquor license for Schwartz & Sandy’s.
When Schwartz and Sandoval had repeated delays getting the bar open, Morris called them out in scenes that were shot for “Vanderpump Rules.” “We’ve got a long lease here . … We have a lot of money to pay back. I just need to see that you’re going to do whatever it takes to make that work. I have a business to operate, and I just don’t have time for bulls***,” Morris said in one episode.
In another scene, Morris was seen telling Lisa Vanderpump, a restaurateur, that the Toms know “nothing” about the restaurant business.
Once the scandal broke and people started boycotting the business, Morris told The Sun that it was unfair to take anger out on everyone who works at Schwartz & Sandy’s. He also addressed negative fake Yelp reviews for the bar.
“It is reckless, irresponsible and callous to call for the boycotting or making blatantly false allegations against a business that was not involved in these people’s personal lives,” Morris said, according to the March 16 story in The Sun. “This has taken a toll on a lot of people who have been honest and hardworking to make Schwartz & Sandy’s a place that serves the community.”
While Sandoval is on hiatus from the bar, there have been rumors that the other owners want him out permanently. In a May 2023 interview on Heather McDonald’s “Juicy Scoop” podcast, former costar Jax Taylor spoke out about the situation. “The bar manager, the owner, they can’t stand Sandoval,” he said. “They don’t want him there anymore. They want to buy him out.”
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