VANDERPUMP Rules’ Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix have finally opened their burger joint after months of delays.
The Bravo stars opened the doors to Something About Her on Wednesday, May 22, after a year of frustrating setbacks.
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The store is now open to the public and offers a variety of sandwiches, snacks, baked goods, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
An LLC for the West Hollywood hotspot was first filed in July 2021.
Ariana, 38, and Katie, 37, joked that the diner would open in the summer of 2023 during the season 10 finale of Vanderpump Rules.
The date was pushed back to mid-October, and in December, The US Sun reported that the planned opening had been pushed back to January 2024.
Read more about Vanderpump Rules
Between the wait time to obtain specific permits, a yard disaster, and a few more obstacles, the reality stars were forced to extend their schedule.
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HEALTH DEPARTMENT PROBLEMS
Something About Her addressed several health department issues, which forced the owners to make some major changes to the store.
“They just got a response from Public Health and are now dealing with issues with the kitchen sink,” a source told The US Sun in December.
“It’s one thing after another, which is why the date keeps being postponed. It has nothing to do with the owners’ busy schedules.”
At the time, Ariana said Bravo TV that they were “still in bureaucracy limbo” and awaiting the next round of inspections.
“We have an incredible menu. An incredible team. People who are very excited and ready to go. So we’re just waiting for that thumbs up, that stamp of approval,” she added.
The establishment also needed an entirely new flooring renovation, as a source told The US Sun that the flooring they had was “not for open food use.”
IMPROVING THE PATIO
The Bravolebrities also had issues with the store’s outdoor patio, which had to be completely redone.
The front of the store once had a “Something About It” sign affixed to a yellow and white awning, along with a square patio for outdoor dining.
However, Ariana and Katie had to demolish it and start from scratch after discovering they didn’t have proper city permits.
Vanderpump Rules Season 11 Cast
Vanderpump Rules returned to Bravo for one of its most explosive seasons following the fallout from Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix’s relationship.
Returning cast members
- Lisa Vanderpump returns as one of the original castmates and serves as the group’s mentor and confidant.
- Ariana Madix returns hurt after her ex, Tom Sandoval, cheated on her.
- James Kennedy has been expanding his DJ career and recently moved in with his girlfriend, Ally.
- Katie Maloney is working hard to open her diner with Ariana as she navigates life post-divorce.
- Lala Kent began an unexpected friendship with Tom Schwartz, which caused a rift between her and the rest of the girls.
- Scheana Shay is living a married life with Brock and a son as they come out of their honeymoon period.
- Tom Sandoval has been trying to work on himself and start repairing his broken relationships.
- Tom Schwartz adopts a new appearance change as he receives blows for helping his friend Tom with his affair with Ariana.
New cast members
- Ally Lewber is focusing on becoming an astronomer and trying to find friendships in the group after she and James embrace suburban life.
- Brock Davies has been testing new dynamics as a family man
They filed a new permit with the city of West Hollywood, proposing a different outdoor dining area and cover that was permitted within the limits.
The patio’s troubles escalated even further when Ariana admitted that someone pooped on him during a season 11 episode.
“I don’t want to say things at the restaurant are shit right now, but someone just pooped on our patio,” she said in a confessional.
There are no outdoor tables on the front patio yet, but the Bravo stars hope to have it set up by the end of the summer.
PERMISSION FIGHT
One of the main culprits behind the delay in opening the cafe was obtaining the correct permits.
Katie and Ariana even brought up the fight during the first part of the VPR Season 11 reunion last week, noting how difficult it was to get inspections in West Hollywood.
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The duo also had to wait almost four months to obtain a liquor license.
They submitted an application to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in October 2023, and it was officially issued on February 26, 2024.
Since opening, the store currently sells canned wines and cocktails — including spritz and hard lemonade from Loverboy, a collaboration with the stars of Bravo’s Summer House.
Katie previously spoke about obtaining all the necessary licenses on a February episode of The Nikki & Brie Show.
“I think people really think this is some kind of conspiracy theory when we’ve said so many times that we really have been at the mercy of these different agencies and people who assign or grant these licenses,” she said.
“And it’s difficult because especially in West Hollywood, they don’t operate the same way as greater Los Angeles, and when you can get someone to come and do the inspection you need, which sometimes takes weeks.
“If you need any type of repair or change, it will take a while and you will need to get them to come back,” she continued.
Katie added that she and Ariana needed physical copies of the licenses before the city could do the final review.
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BROADWAY CALL
After placing second on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars last year, Grande continued her dream on stage by starring in Chicago The Musical.
Ariana made her Broadway debut in January 2024, playing the lead role of Roxie Hart until early April.
The career change forced the former Sur bartender to move to New York City for a few months, taking her away from preparing Something About Her.
Around the time Grande left for the Great White Way, a source told The US Sun that it was a “behind-the-scenes fuck-up.”
“Ariana is not really involved at the moment. Almost everything has been left to Katie, and she can’t do it alone,” they added.
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“I don’t see how that could open up when Ariana is literally on the opposite coast for a few months.”
Katie even got into a fight with co-star Lala Kent during the Season 11 reunion when Lala claimed Katie had complained to her over the phone about Ariana’s absence while in New York.
However, there was no animosity left between the cafeteria owners.
FINALLY DONE!
Hundreds of people attended the opening on Wednesday, although there were some problems behind the scenes.
The wait to enter the store lasted hours, with many fans traveling from far and wide to be there on the long-awaited day.
“Fans were very excited to finally get in and experience what has been teased for a long time,” an eyewitness told The US Sun.
“The line was around the corner and the wait to get in lasted more than two hours.”
Another said the grand opening “seemed very anticlimactic” and that there were “no balloons, signs or decorations” or “anyone standing in front to indicate it was a store opening.”
The store opened 30 minutes late, at 10:30 am, partly due to problems with the POS (point of sale) system.
A witness said that Ariana and Katie, who were there to greet and greet customers, seemed very stressed about the situation.
“So our POS system has decided that today is the day it doesn’t want to work,” Ariana told customers when the store opened.
“We’re going very slowly to make sure everything comes out correctly and on time, that our kitchen is actually taking orders and that you can place orders and pay for things.
“So please bear with us. We’re going to move slowly, but we’re really excited to have you. We’re going to start letting people in, I guess one or two people at a time.”
Some people also complained about the lack of seating space for the big day, calling it “reckless” not to add extra tables and chairs.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
