Schwartz & Sandy’s Reviews — The Rise, the Scandal, and the Final Night That Had Everyone Talking

Schwartz & Sandy’s, the Hollywood bar-restaurant co-owned by Vanderpump Rules personalities Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval, finally closed its doors after just two years. What was pitched as the quirkiest, buzziest cocktail lounge in Los Angeles turned into one of the most talked-about business sagas to come out of reality TV. Between emotional investment, public backlash, industry realities, and dramatic fan reactions, here’s the story of a bar that wanted to be iconic but became unforgettable for all kinds of reasons.

🍸 From Script to Strip Mall: How Schwartz & Sandy’s Got Its Start

In November 2022, Schwartz & Sandy’s opened in Franklin Village, not on Sunset Boulevard or Hollywood Boulevard, but tucked into a humble strip mall on North Bronson Avenue. It was an unlikely setting, especially for a concept dreamed up by two reality TV stars.

Instead of a generic sports bar or another Hollywood lounge, the vision was playful and immersive, with eclectic wallpaper, quirky art, creative cocktails, and a menu that blended comfort food with inventive twists. It was meant to feel like stepping into the Toms’ brain: funky yet familiar. Yet from the start, even fans wondered whether the location would ever match the vibe.

Schwartz and Sandoval entered the hospitality world with confidence, building on their success with TomTom in West Hollywood, which they opened years earlier alongside Lisa Vanderpump. But this time, the bar was all theirs, and the stakes were personal.

Early Buzz and the First Cracks Appearing

At first, Schwartz & Sandy’s felt like a curious debut. Reality TV fans visited in droves, snapshots of cocktails and murals appeared online, and local bloggers mentioned its unique charm. Yet beneath that excitement were early signs of struggle, inconsistent hours, irregular menu offerings, and Reddit commentators noting random closures even on peak nights.

Inside, according to some whispers on Reddit threads from locals and customers, the business wasn’t always thriving. People reported seeing fewer than ten people during weekend nights and sometimes no bartenders other than staff members holding down the bar.

Business owners will tell you that restaurants rarely succeed on brand alone. Yet for celebrities, brand is often assumed to be the golden ticket, and Schwartz & Sandy’s was about to learn how fragile that assumption can be.

Scandoval Strikes: When Reality TV Became Restaurant Reality

In March 2023, everything shifted. Tom Sandoval’s affair with Vanderpump Rules co-star Raquel Leviss, while still in a long-term relationship with Ariana Madix, became public, sparking one of the biggest scandals in the show’s history, quickly nicknamed “Scandoval.”

Suddenly, Schwartz & Sandy’s wasn’t just a bar, it was a flashpoint for fan frustration. Yelp and social sites lit up with negative reviews targeted at the business, and online critics relentlessly linked the bar to Sandoval’s personal life. Yelp even paused reviews at one point because of the volume and intensity of feedback.

Schwartz later admitted that having their real names on the restaurant backfired. He said their personal drama directly affected the business, and recovering from the deluge of negativity was harder than they expected, especially in a restaurant world where profit margins are already razor-thin.

Menu Tweaks, Quiet Nights, and the Grind of Running a Bar

As the backlash grew, Schwartz & Sandy’s began to shift its strategy. Sources reported the bar slashed its cocktail menu and reconfigured its drinks lineup in an attempt to simplify operations and appeal to locals.

Yet even with changes intended to improve efficiency, regulars were hard to come by. Reddit users shared firsthand experiences of quiet nights or staff who seemed resigned to the realities of running a space that never quite found a consistent crowd.

Staff told one poster that during the final night, the bar wasn’t packed as one might expect for a closing party. About 15 patrons showed up — a mix of fans and curious locals — but not the raucous farewell many anticipated.

🥂 The Official Farewell: Closing with Style and Community Thanks

On November 25, 2024, the co-owners announced Schwartz & Sandy’s would close at the end of December. The message was heartfelt, thanking staff, customers, and even critics for being part of the journey.

Sandoval’s Instagram messages asked fans to celebrate the bar while they still could, highlighting upcoming themed parties from Taylor Swift-themed nights to holiday events, encouraging everyone to toast the place one last time.

Schwartz described the decision as “one of the hardest we’ve ever made,” emphasizing that they still believed in the concept, but the reality of business squeezed margins, ongoing negativity, and intense public scrutiny made it impossible to keep going.

Beyond the Bar — The Personal Toll of a Public Failure

For Schwartz and Sandoval, the fallout wasn’t just a business lesson; it was deeply personal.

Schwartz later spoke candidly about 2024 being a “tumultuous year,” with the bar’s closure and the reboot of Vanderpump Rules coinciding to leave him at a crossroads. He described the experience as expensive and emotionally draining, but ultimately a learning curve he’d never forget.

Insiders even claimed that the bar’s failure strained the Toms’ 20-year friendship, with one source saying Schwartz would never go into business with Sandoval again, after money, stress, and trust issues strained the relationship.

Meanwhile, loyal locals and Reddit commentators debated whether the bar ever stood a chance, with some arguing it lacked a clear identity, others suggesting Scandoval only sped up an inevitable decline.

Aftermath: What Schwartz & Sandy’s Leaves Behind

Schwartz & Sandy’s has now joined the list of defunct restaurants that once promised so much but closed too soon. Though it only lasted two years, its story reflects larger truths about fame, hospitality, and audience expectations in the age of social media.

Today, both TV fans and industry watchers see Schwartz & Sandy’s as a cautionary tale, a reminder that celebrity branding alone doesn’t secure success, and that public sentiment can make or break more than just a storyline. Whether it deserved better or was doomed from the start, the bar’s final chapter is as compelling as its first.