Getty Ariana Madix
Ariana Madix gave an update on Something About Her, the West Hollywood sandwich shop she is set to open with Katie Maloney, but the news wasn’t exactly what fans wanted to hear.
In August 2023, the “Vanderpump Rules” star spoke out on the “Scheananigins With Scheana Shay” podcast to reveal that there is no opening date in sight for the sandwich shop due to holdups with building and safety permits in the city of West Hollywood.
But Madix also said that once the sandwich shop does open, it will be a reprieve from all of the drama she has faced in the aftermath of her ex, Tom Sandoval’s, cheating scandal with her former friend, Raquel Leviss.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ariana Madix Admitted It’s Hard Not to Feel ‘Defeated’ By the Delays
BravoVanderpump Rules stars Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix.
Madix sat down with Shay for a lengthy interview on August 25, 2023, where one of the first questions she was asked was about “the elephant in the room.” “Can you tell us when Something About Her will be open for business?” Shay asked.
Madix revealed there’s not a grand opening date yet. “I wish I had a definitive date for you,” she said. “It will be soon. We have our security system going this week, Our POS system is going in this week, so things are moving along. We’ve had some hiccups, obviously, along the way.”
In May 2023, Madix told People that she had “a feeling” Something About Her would open by the summer.
But while speaking with Shay, the “Fancy AF Cocktails” author pointed to red tape with approvals and permits for the upcoming eatery which is located on North Roberston Boulevard, not far from Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant.
“We had to rip out the patio because West Hollywood would like to turn Robertson into a walking street, so there’s a lot of city improvement projects going on on Robertson,” Madix explained. “That caused us to have to switch up the outdoor patio so now we’re working on a different outdoor seating plan, so there’s been some holdups in terms of that which has been frustrating.”
Madix said that while she and Maloney are “excited to move forward,” she does feel a bit defeated from all of the delays. “It’s like so close and you see the light at the end of the tunnel you’re just like when can we get to the end of the tunnel,” she said,
Madix did say that overall, the process has been a positive one, especially amid the Scandoval chaos. “It’s been really awesome to just kind of have this project that is a brick and mortar, it is like an actual location, to keep going back to and focus on,” she said. “[When] things kind of like die down and chill out a little bit, it’ll be really nice to have this project that is something that is very tangible.”
The “Vanderpump Rules” star also said that sharing the vision for the business with Maloney has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. “I feel like we’ve had such a great time doing it together and our vision, we’ve had the exact same ideas and vision, we’ve agreed like this whole process and it’s been so fun getting to do all of that with her,” she said. “It’s been a really good source of positivity and feeling productive and having a goal we’re going for.”
There Are Rumors that the Something About Her Grand Opening Will be Filmed For ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Fans first learned of plans for Something About Her during the 9th season of “Vanderpump Rules” in 2021. But two years later, multiple setbacks pushed the opening date back several times.
In the TikTok clip, posted in July 2023, Maloney poked fun at the delays as they danced to the Drake song “Passionfruit” with her friend Logan Cochran. A caption teased: “Draking out way through the ‘you were supposed to be open in May’.”
The post was also captioned with “Crying in permits,” in reference to the delays over county permits.
In July 2023, The Sun reported that construction has to be done on the patio of the sandwich shop to bring it to code. A source at the time teased a “mid-August” opening date.
Another insider told The Messenger that “the plan is to film the grand opening” for “Vanderpump Rules” 11th season, which is currently filming.
“It’s a lot of pressure on them to compete with Schwartz & Sandy’s, and they have been really stressed about blowing their sales out of the water,” the insider added, referencing the bar owned by Madix and Maloney’s exes, Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.
Heavy reached out to Maloney and Madix’s reps for comment on the filming rumor.
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