When it comes to reality TV, few shows are as iconic as Vanderpump Rules. And for VRP fans, SUR, the restaurant where the show takes place, has become a familiar and iconic place. But have you ever wondered what SUR was like before the show started airing? Well, wonder no more! One of the original cast members, Peter Madrigal, recently spilled the tea on Kristen Doute’s podcast.
SUR played a central role in “Vanderpump Rules”
Vanderpump Rules began airing in 2013, quickly becoming a phenomenon among reality TV fans. The show follows the lives of the staff at SUR, a hip West Hollywood restaurant owned by Lisa Vanderpump. Lisa is a former cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
One of the reasons for RVP the success is its cast of colorful and drama-filled characters, including Katie Maloney, Ariana Madix, Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, Charli Burnett, and Kristina Kelly, among others.
Over the years, VRP provided viewers with insight into the cast members’ lives, including their friendships, romantic relationships, and professional endeavors. He also showcased the restaurant’s day-to-day operations, including the drama and chaos that often accompanies working in the service industry.
The show’s success has had a significant impact on SUR, which INSIDER has become a destination for the show’s fans. The restaurant’s popularity has grown and is now one of the hottest spots in West Hollywood.
Peter Madrigal Reveals How Different SUR Was Before ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Madrigal, one of the original actors of Vanderpump Rules and a longtime SUR employee, recently gave a glimpse of what the restaurant was like before the show started airing. Appearing on Kristen Doute’s podcast, “Sex, Love, and What Else Matters,” Madrigal revealed that he started working at SUR in 2008, right after graduating from USC. It was a few years ago VRP began.
According to Madrigal, SUR was a much smaller operation at the time, with only about 12 employees. Doute, who worked at the restaurant for eight years, confirmed this, saying it was a much smaller and more intimate environment. The two also revealed that SUR didn’t have a liquor license at the time, which meant they could only serve beer and wine.
Madrigal also explained that Doute was among the first people he met at the restaurant. Doute joined SUR in 2007, so she had a better understanding of how the restaurant works. According to Madrigal, Doute taught him a lot, from how to fold towels to wearing glasses.
Peter Madrigal is the only original ‘VPR’ cast member still working at SUR
When the first season of Vanderpump Rules was released in 2013, everyone on the main cast except Tom Schwartz worked at SUR. This made perfect sense, as the show’s premise centered on a group of attractive twenty-somethings navigating the drama that comes with working together in a West Hollywood restaurant.
Lisa Vanderpump once told Thrillist, “Part of the deal is that if they work at the show’s restaurant, they have to work there legitimately.”
Today most of VRP the cast members are successful enough that they no longer need to work at SUR. In fact, Madrigal is the only original cast member who continues to work at the restaurant. The long date VRP star started as a busboy, worked his way up to a waiter/bartender position and is now in a management position. And despite the changes that have come with fame and fortune, he remains dedicated to SUR and has grown with the restaurant over the years.