Lisa Vanderpump is clarifying Peter Madrigal‘s claims that TomTom is going to be turned into Pump 2.0.
“When we closed Pump, we moved some of the staff and our chef to TomTom, as they were so good, so we’ve been affectionately calling the back garden of TomTom the Pump Garden,” Vanderpump, 63, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, August 13. “But that happened months ago!”
The restaurateur shut down Madrigal’s speculation about the future of TomTom, adding, “Hadn’t thought about rebranding it all, but thanks for the idea Peter! LOL.”
Vanderpump also made it clear that she’s focused on opening new businesses instead of reimagining her existing ones. “We’ve been hard at work on Pinky’s at the Flamingo in Las Vegas,” she concluded. “Does he want to change the name of that too?”
Vanderpump’s businesses have been at the center of her reality shows through the years, from Vanderpump Rules to Vanderpump Villa. Her empire began with Villa Blanca and expanded to include SUR, Pump, TomTom, Vanderpump à Paris and Wolf by Vanderpump.
Madrigal has long worked as a manager at Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant and has been featured on Vanderpump Rules throughout its 11 seasons. Earlier this month, he surprised fans with allegations that Vanderpump plans to revive Pump by phasing out TomTom.
“The first couple of seasons [of Vanderpump Rules], there was a huge amount of authenticity to the show because you could go on a random night and find your favorite cast members,” Madrigal mentioned on the Monday, August 12, episode of “The Sarah Fraser Show” podcast. “There was an authenticity to it. Now you come to SUR and you’ll see me, because I still work at SUR. I still manage the place.”
He continued: “What does Vanderpump Rules have to do with SUR? What does it have to do with actual Lisa Vanderpump spots? Other than Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz owning 1 percent of TomTom, which no longer has that. I don’t think the TomTom sign is on anymore. It’s something I noticed the other night.”
Madrigal claimed Vanderpump was “rebranding” the bar, whose popularity has been in question due to Sandoval’s recent scandals. “So when you walk into that building formerly known as TomTom, you walk in and there’s a gate that says Pump above it,” he said.
Pump initially closed its doors in 2023, and the goodbye was a story line on season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. The episodes also documented the aftermath of Sandoval’s affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and subsequent split from Ariana Madix.
While Pump is no longer open, SUR, TomTom and the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden and Vanderpump à Paris in Las Vegas are thriving. Vanderpump Villa, her French chateau, is now at the center of its own reality series.
Hulu announced on Friday, August 9, that Vanderpump Villa was renewed for a second season with former Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder joining the cast as part of a larger deal including a new show titled Stassi Says.
Season 2 of Vanderpump Villa will reunite Schroeder, 36, and Vanderpump on camera following Schroeder’s 2020 exit from Vanderpump Rules.
