Like many amidst the pandemic Lisa Vanderpump, 59, has had a tough year when it comes to her businesses. After weeks of speculation, she confirmed that she’s closing her iconic Beverly Hills restaurant — and sources tell HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that the decision was a tough one. “Lisa and Ken loved Villa Blanca and were quite attached to it so it was really hard to close for them and it wasn’t an easy decision to make,” a source close to the Vanderpump Rules star shared. “It was her baby essentially and she frequented there almost daily,” they also said.
Though signs have been posted up in the Beverly Hills restaurant for month about a temporary closure, Lisa only confirmed that she decided to shut down the Beverly Hills hotspot — which she ran with her husband Ken Todd, 62, — after 12 successful years just last week. “They held onto it so long because they didn’t want to see it close,” added the source. “The restaurant hasn’t been doing well for awhile now and their other establishments were doing much better. It’s always been more of a lunch and happy hour spot and never really was packed. The rent for that corner in Beverly Hills is insanely expensive, too,” our insider noted.
The news comes three months after Villa Blanca announced they were closing the venue due to COVID-19 and California’s stay-at-home order. “It saddens us to have to do this, but with the advisement of the government and local authorities, we have closed our restaurants until further notice,” a statement on March 16 read. “These are scary times right now, but nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees and guests…Together we will get through this and come out stronger on the other side. Keep following us for updates and we hope we can welcome you back again soon,” it also read.
This decision does not sound like an easy one for the successful restauranteurs who also own LA hot spots Pump, TomTom and Sur, which successful show Vanderpump Rules is based off. Lisa has no time to sulk though, because she’s got her sights set on reopening later this summer if all goes as planned. “She’s hoping to open up TomTom in August,” our source shared of the West Hollywood establishment she co-owns with cast members Tom Sandoval, 37, and Tom Schwartz, 37.
Lisa has had other drama to deal with this summer as well as she waits to see what is going on with her show. After the firings of OG cast members Stassi Schroeder, 32, and Kristen Doute, 37, over racist accusations made by their former co-star Faith Stowers, 31, the fate of the show remains to be seen. But with the opening of Vanderpump Cocktail Gardens in Las Vegas and her Vanderpump Dogs Foundation as well, we have no doubt that Lisa will find her footing with even more successful business ventures in the future!