Even though Tom Schwartz laughed when Lala Kent made a joke about him “building bars and then making them go out of business” during The Valley Season 3, Episode 11, his true feelings on the subject are actually much more complicated.
When the fact that TomTom is currently for sale arose on The Valley After Show, for example, Schwartz admitted that he was “sad” to let go of the West Hollywood restaurant and bar. After all, when Lisa Vanderpump and husband Ken Todd opened TomTom in 2018, Schwartz and Tom Sandoval were not only the venue’s namesakes, but they also each owned a small percentage of the business.
Referring to TomTom officially hitting the real estate market in March 2026 as a “sign of the times,” Schwartz insisted that he was not “blindsided” by the news. “Lisa and Ken called me, and we all kinda knew,” the Vanderpump Rules alum recalled, mentioning “dwindling sales” figures. “I’m effing sad. There’s such a big part of my heart and soul that’s in that place.”
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Schwartz continued, “I technically have my puny 5 percent, but it means the world to me. Like, it meant 100 percent of my life for so long. We put a lot of our f–king blood, sweat, and tears in that place. Like, I really poured my heart out every time I went in there. But, yeah, I’ll make a few bucks when they sell it, which will be nice.”
Why Tom Schwartz got out of the restaurant business
For every sweet memory, there were also plenty of sour ones, however. That’s why Jason Caperna’s joke on The Valley‘s June 10 After Show that he wasn’t “in the market” to buy TomTom right now prompted Schwartz to tell him that he would not recommend going into the restaurant business anyway. (His and Sandoval’s other bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, also previously closed its doors in Dec. 2024.)
“It’s a nightmare, it’s an all-consuming,” Schwartz explained. “Just up at dawn, stressed at night. It’s like, even when things are going good, it’s just… If, like, if you don’t love it, I don’t know, man. But I would never open my own bar or put my name on a lease ever again. Or finance it.”
At one point, Schwartz had intended to devote his entire career to the hospitality industry, however. As he reminded viewers, “I mean, that was, like, my path. I’m gonna be a restaurateur. We wanted to, like, license Schwartz & Sandy’s. We were looking at spots in, like, Las Vegas. And, like, OK, this is gonna be my life.”
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Fast-forward to today, and as Schwartz put it, “I’ve learned so much, and I became a better person for sure. Whatever little residual Peter Pan Syndrome I had lingering in my system is just gone now. It shaped me into the man I am today, and I still have a lot of growing to do. I’m a late bloomer. But, like, it’s sad. It feels like the end of an era.”
Where Tom Schwartz stands with Lisa Vanderpump and Tom Sandoval today
Elsewhere on The Valley After Show, Schwartz also shared an update on his relationships with LVP and Sandoval today.Â
“Lisa checks in on me,” he said. “We’ll FaceTime from time to time. They’ve got an empire they’re building, a new empire in Las Vegas in the desert. She actually just invited me to come out to the opening for her new hotel in Las Vegas, which is gonna be so chic, so fabulous. But I can’t go.”
As for Sandoval, Schwartz added, “Tom is doing great. We’ve reestablished our friendship. Um, there’s no lingering resentment anymore. We’re cool. We’re good. I mean, he’s family to me. We just needed a long break, which I think everyone can understand.”
In the meantime, find out how Sandoval really feels about Schwartz joining The Valley as a full-time cast member for Season 3.
