Back in Vanderpump Rules Season 9, Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix decided to open up a sandwich shop. I loved this exciting storyline twist. If Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz could open up a bar, then how hard could it be, right? Very quickly though, this simplistic take turned into a dark reality, as their plans for Something About Her hit every single roadblock in LA.
Thankfully, their Reuben’s riddled road is finally clearing. An official opening date lies just around the corner, right in time for the probable next season of Vanderpump Rules. While we wait, lets take a look back at SAH’s obstacle-laden path. Hopefully, this will help to quieten up any of the lingering delicatessen-doubters in our midst.
All of the deli’s delays
For a while, Something About Her looked like it was ready to go. Many fans even snapped shots while walking by, showing that the space had received major glow-ups. But then, these shared images started pulling the Uno Reverse card, as everyone began noticing that the awning, their signs, and even their patio had all been torn down. At this point, SAH’s delays began.
Let’s first address the sidewalk debacle. Back in 2021, West Hollywood, where SAH resides, decided to temporarily shut down sections of Robertson Boulevard, allowing for patrons to sit outside in a time where Covid rang supreme. When things died down, this program came to a halt, and the sidewalk rules changed back. This saw the ladies quickly adapting to the new permitting rules, which forced them to tear out their patio, and also take down their signage.
Up next came their hurdles with their floors and their main fridge. You know, the f’s, which I’m sure that they both screamed out into the void rather often. After the health department found their flooring not up to par for an open food usage space, Katie and Ariana had to rip every single board out. In doing so, it was noted that their industrial-sized fridge wasn’t installed correctly, so this had to be corrected as well.
There’s still one more hurdle that these ladies will have to jump through though. On January 3, 2024, they submit an application to the city for their reworked patio area. This application also holds their new signage asks. As of right now, it’s still under review.
Where there’s a chef, there’s likely drama
As for their kitchen, Katie and Ariana hired Chef Penny Davidi to help with SAH’s menu items and recipes. Chef Penny’s got an impressive resume, which includes Food Network Star, Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, Kitchen Inferno, and even Guys Grocery Games All Stars. She’s also popped up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and even VPR, as Lisa Vanderpump brought her on to help curate her menus found at Pump Lounge (RIP) and also at TomTom.
She’s clearly a known name amongst this cast. Therefore, it makes sense that Katie and Ariana selected Chef Penny to be their Menu Curator as well. Except, on the Popping Off with Teddi Mellencamp and Emily Simpson podcast, Katie revealed that she and Ariana have since parted ways with their chef.
Their beef is unknown though, as Katie is keeping rather mum on the topic. “No, we’re not working with Penny any longer,” she divulged. On this, she’d only add “You know, I mean, we loved working with Penny, and Penny was great, but ultimately it wasn’t the right fit.”
At long last, an opening date has just arrived
It’s been almost three years since Katie and Ariana first decided to turn their dreams into a reality over on Bravo. In this span of time, both of these ladies have ditched their men and their farmhouses. They’ve also each relocated to their new safe spaces, ready to heal and take on whatever might come next. This is such a long stretch of time, but even still, it wasn’t long enough to open up a sandwich shop in LA.
Thankfully, Katie and Ariana’s wait is finally over. On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, Something About Her will officially open for business. Leading up to this date, the store will hold several soft openings, which will help the ladies to test out and fully train their employees. In addition to this, allegedly, SAH’s also planning a “big WeHo Pride party” in between May 31 and June 2.
I’m here for all of this. But also, I hope that VPR gets renewed, so that we can finally see all of this going down. Just like Katie and Ariana, we’ve also waited in the trenches for this big day to arrive. So now, we all deserve the payout of seeing these two go live.
Vanderpump Rules is available to stream on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU EAGER TO FINALLY WATCH KATIE AND ARIANA’S SOMETHING ABOUT HER SANDWICH SHOP OPEN? DO YOU THINK THEY’LL BRING BACK VPR FOR ONE MORE SEASON, SHOWCASING THESE LADIES’ REALIZED DREAMS?
