Heavy/NBCUniversal Lisa Vanderpump speaks out on latest rumors.
Lisa Vanderpump has been a successful businesswoman and restauranteur for many years. The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” stars currently owns a number of bars and lounges, including SUR in the Los Angeles area and Vanderpump Paris in Las Vegas.
In mid-March, rumors circulated that Vanderpump was going to close PUMP, a bar in West Hollywood that first opened its doors a decade ago. Back on March 9, 2023, the WeHo Times reported that PUMP’s liquor license had been suspended due to “B/E Collections Suspension.” The liquor license at TomTom was also suspended for the same reason. Although it was reported that it could take more than 30 days for the licenses to be reinstated, People magazine confirmed that all was well by March 10, 2023.
A few days later, some Bravo fan accounts picked up the story and started posting that PUMP was closing on their Instagram Stories, but Vanderpump was quick to set the record straight, tweeting, “Ok no …#PumpRestaurant will be open as normal…#fake-news,” on March 15, 2023. She has since admitted, however, that PUMP may end up closing in the future.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lisa Vanderpump Plans to Expand Her Brand in the Las Vegas Market But Is Unsure About PUMP’s Future
In a statement given to People magazine on March 15, 2023, Vanderpump said that her team is in talks with the landlord of the property about resigning their lease and stressed that a decision as to whether or not PUMP will remain open — and in that location — has not yet been made.
“We’ve been in the Pump location for 10 years, have a great relationship with the landlord,” she told People, adding that they “are currently discussing resigning our lease over the next few months, but haven’t made a decision and will be open tonight, and come by and have a Pumptini.”
Vanderpump went on to say that she will be opening two new spots at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which will join her Cocktail Garden, which opened in 2019, and her elegant eatery at the Paris Resort & Casino, which opened in 2022. “We wanted to bring Paris to Vegas and Vegas to Paris,” she previously told Variety of the swanky spot.
Vegas has proven to be a successful market for Vanderpump, and she appears to be focused on growing her brand in Sin City.
“We’re also currently expanding our empire and will be opening two more restaurants with Caesars Palace,” she told People.
Lisa Vanderpump Closed Villa Blanca in 2020
Vanderpump’s very first U.S.-based eatery, Villa Blanca opened its doors in 2009. After more than a decade in business, the lounge closed in 2020.
“Although there have been many untrue articles in the past week or so about the reasons for closing Villa Blanca, we are indeed going to be closing up our doors for good,” Vanderpump told the Daily Mail in a statement in July 2020. She explained that rent was going up on her lease and the landlord wasn’t willing to negotiate.
“If the landlord had been willing to renegotiate and the lease wasn’t ending, we would have reopened, but unfortunately with Coronavirus, the situation was beyond our control,” she explained.
Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules” premiered in 2013 and followed a group of Vanderpump employees who worked at SUR. The lounge was first opened by Vanderpump’s now business partner Guillermo Zapata in 1998 and went through a major renovation with Vanderpump’s help years later, according to Page Six. The “unique” space is considered a hotspot and a must for any Bravo fans traveling to the Los Angeles area.