Tom Schwartz Estimates Scandoval Cost Him 80% of Bar’s Business

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Nothing was a more concrete illustration of how the public felt about Tom Sandoval than the hit his business took. Schwartz & Sandy’s, the bar he opened with Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz, was effectively “canceled” by fans angered by his affair with Rachel Leviss.

Schwartz & Sandy’s was boycotted and flooded with poor reviews. Now, Schwartz is talking numbers. And in a recent interview, revealed exactly how much of a hit his revenue stream took.

Schwartz called the fallout “a spectacle”

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“This year almost broke me,” Schwartz exclusively revealed to Entrepreneur. “I’m glad we persevered, [but] there was a moment there I wasn’t sure if we were going to.”

“Our names are on the side of this building, which comes with a certain responsibility,” Schwartz added. “I’ve never experienced such a concentrated dose of negativity, especially online. It was a spectacle.”

Indeed, Schwartz often spoke of the toll public wrath took on him. It wasn’t just the emotional reaction, but a fear of losing his business.

Entrepreneur asked him what the “immediate effects of the real-time fallout” were.

Schwartz’s business partner, and long-time restauranteur Greg Morris was also on hand to discuss the numbers. When the bar first opened in November 2022, they were pulling a “modest 60% of the revenues forecasted.” The coming weeks saw consistent growth.

“Immediately following Scandoval, though, we saw a quick rise in business, but it was short-lived,” Greg explained. “After experiencing a 30% increase in our revenue numbers within four to five weeks, we watched as our numbers declined precipitously. Week after week we watched the numbers tumble, sometimes down 50% per week. At our lowest, we dropped approximately 80% of our business.”

Schwartz added, “People really rallied against us. We discussed rebranding or temporarily shutting down.”

“Keyboard critics” were relentless, according to the VPR star. The restaurant went from “great reviews” of “4.6 stars” to around “2.5 stars.”

“It’s really detrimental to businesses — cancel culture and keyboard critics. It was such a bizarro world experience to be in. People were irate; they were fired up. Things got dark and weird,” Schwartz said.

What’s next for Schwartz & Sandy’s?

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Now that the eatery is out of the red, Schwartz has a “newfound sense of optimism and excitement.” And that translates into a refresh at Schwartz & Sandy’s.

“We’re working on new food right now, new drinks, and a new music program. We’re going to do some subtle redesigns, we’re also working on something to tie all these [VPR] places together. People call it the “Vandercrawl,” so we’re putting together a little tour for Tom Tom, Jax’s Studio City (owned by former castmate Jax Taylor), and Schwartz and Sandy’s. It’s in motion, and I think people are going to really dig it. It’s going to be special,” Schwartz revealed.

Catch Vanderpump Rules Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.

TELL US – WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE BAR LOSING 80% OF BUSINESS POST-SCANDOVAL? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SCHWARTZ’S PLANS TO REFRESH THE RESTAURANT?

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from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/05/16/tom-schwartz-estimates-scandoval-cost-80-bar-business-vanderpump-rules/

The GOAT Episode 4 Recap: Don’t Trigger Hurricane Kristen

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We’re back in the GOAT Manor for Episode 4 of Prime Video’s The GOAT. Last week featured Da’Vonne as the show’s head b*tch in charge. However, it looked like she let the power get to her head, causing Wendell and the rest of the guys to blindside her. So, will she be on the chopping block this week? Or will another plan be set in motion? Here’s everything that went down on The GOAT, Episode 4: The Hurricane. 

Who is The GOAT in Episode 4? 

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Wendell Holland was named The GOAT in Season 1, Episode 4. 

For this week’s challenge, the contestants paid homage to all of the medical reality shows out there. Thanks, Botched. Host Daniel Tosh explained the rules, which involved the players popping a balloon that looked like a pimple on a cut-out face. If their balloon had blue goo, they were safe and made it to the next round. However, they’re eliminated from the competition if yellow puss is released. 

Of course, whoever wins will have immunity and will pick the teams for the elimination challenge. So, a lot is riding on this, especially after some of the ladies felt Da’Vonne tried to sabotage their games. 

As the reality stars go, they’re popping the pimples left and right. Some people like Reza, Joe, Teck, and CJ got blue goo on their first round. Justin, though, was blasted with yellow puss, sending them to the outskirts. Da’Vonne’s turn arrived, and luck wasn’t on her side during this comp because she also popped a pimple with yellow puss. 

Eventually, the final round consisted of Kristen, Wendell, Joe, and CJ, with one blue balloon left. As you can imagine, the moment was tense due to Episode 3’s drama during the elimination ceremony. Kristen was up first, and although she really needed this win, she chose incorrectly. 

Next was Wendell, and he crushed CJ and Joe’s chances of winning because he chose the right balloon, making him this week’s GOAT. Typically, that’d come with safety, but this week, Wendell was tempted with $5,000 to give that up … and he took it. 

The elimination challenge details… 

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For the elimination challenge, Wendell was tasked with picking the teams. In his confessional, he told producers that he wanted slightly even teams. However, he wanted to skew his team in his favor. 

On his side, he chose Jason, Joe, CJ, and Da’Vonne (Team Purple), leaving the remaining contestants to make up Team Orange. 

Reza wasn’t happy about the teams, saying not being picked for Wendell’s team doesn’t feel good when they’re supposed to be homies. 

For the challenge, one contestant on each team had to lead the remaining players through a maze while blindfolded. Da’Vonne was the captain for Team Purple, while Justin was the captain for Team Orange. Throughout the challenge, Team Purple had the edge, as Da’Vonne made sure her team would be able to hear her. Team Orange, on the other hand, just couldn’t get it together. Justin wasn’t loud enough, and Kristen kept saying she couldn’t hear. All of their back-and-forth didn’t help. In fact, it wasted time because as they were frolicking around, Team Purple snagged the victory. 

So, Da’Vonne, Wendell, Joe, CJ, Jason, and Jill (because she had to sit out) are safe for the week, and somebody else is getting ready to go home. 

Who went home in The GOAT Episode 4? 

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Kristen Doute was the fourth reality star eliminated from The GOAT Season 1. 

The losing team began strategizing to see who should go home. Many felt it should be Kristen since she dropped the ball during the maze challenge. 

Kristen discussed the moment with Jill and Da’Vonne. They tried to help her create a plan to shift the target from her to Reza. The former Vanderpump Rules star brought the news to Wendell, however, he told her that she needed to secure enough votes before he would flip. 

It was time for the house to vote. The final tally was eight votes for Kristen and three for Reza. Kristen was the next reality star exiled from GOAT Manor. 

Kristen called the men out for being “threatened” by the women. “You guys are so scared of the women that you need to have men majority ruling the house. You’re not playing fair. Is that your version of mansplaining,” she said. 

She shouted out the women on her way out but told CJ that she was “the worst of the worst.” 

“This is about you taking the men’s side not only in this house but in this world.” Whew. Get her, Kristen. CJ is a snooze fest. 

In the house, Reza was talking sh*t about Kristen after she’d left. “She just got thrown out of the house, don’t kick her while she’s down,” Jill told Da’Vonne. “He’s ranting and raving. We’ve gotta get Reza out because he’s toxic, and I don’t want toxicity.” 

Operation Blindside Reza is in full effect. 

The GOAT airs on Prime Video every Thursday. 

TELL US — DID YOU WATCH EPISODE 4? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF KRISTEN’S EXIT? 

The post The GOAT Episode 4 Recap: Don’t Trigger Hurricane Kristen appeared first on Reality Tea.

from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/05/16/the-goat-episode-4-recap-the-hurricane/