ARIANA Madix has had other commitments these past few weeks that have led her to spending less time at her sandwich shop, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
Ariana, 38, and Katie, 37, celebrated the grand opening of Something About Her on Wednesday, May 22- despite suffering setbacks for over a year.
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Fans are allegedly 'disappointed' that Ariana Madix is not at Something About HerCredit: Ben Symons/Peacock
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Ariana was in town for the shop's opening week, but is now filming Love IslandCredit: Instagram/arianamadix
Since opening, the line to enter the Los Angeles eatery has remained long - it's now more 30 minutes to an hour - but business hours, Ariana's disappearance and miscommunication has allegedly made fans "frustrated."
The hours of operation are from 10am to 4pm Wednesday through Sunday, and the shop is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
On June 12, an insider told The U.S. Sun that "several people out front were very frustrated because the shop advertised for a 10am opening, but it opened at 11am last minute."
"The fans outside grew more frustrated when they waited and waited, and the shop opened up past 11 with no one coming out front to tell them why they were even more late to open," the insider claimed.
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The insider added, "It seems like they are not well organized still."
Part of the staff includes Ann Maddox, Tom Sandoval's former assistant, and Teri, Katie's mom.
Vanderpump Rules star Ariana was at Something About Her's grand opening and helped with the soft openings, but has not been around much since then, The U.S. Sun has learned.
"Ariana has barely been at the shop besides opening week," a source close to the café revealed to The U.S. Sun.
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"The staff understands she has a lot of stuff going on and everyone involved is so happy for her, but they are disappointed fans can't see her more or even have her witness the store's success firsthand."
Fans have also expressed their "disappointment" to staff when they have traveled far and waited in line, but did not get to meet the star.
Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney’s ex-sandwich shop chef slams 'underwhelming' menu and thinks stars' business 'will fail'
"Teri [Katie's mom] has been a big hit with fans. They all love seeing her. And Katie comes in when she can and is able to more often," the source added.
Ariana had been in Fiji filming Love Island after she was announced as Sarah Hyland's replacement as host in March.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Ariana's rep for comment.
BUSY BUSINESS
As reflected on social media, the insider went on to say that business "has been doing great" and that "there's a lot of busy hours."
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Credit: The U.S. Sun
The source continued, "Sometimes things die down and it's slower, but for the most part people have been coming through and it's been steady."
A few doors down from Something About Her, Sur restaurant, owned by Lisa Vanderpump, has even experienced the ripple effect of the business' success.
"It's only helped our business," Sur's manager and former VPR star Peter Madrigal told The U.S. Sun in a new interview.
"Sur is around the corner and [Something About Her] is popping.
"We open at 5pm... and they close at 4pm, so everybody has an hour before Sur opens. They can come to happy hour afterwards."
Peter, who recently launched his own network Reality Network, says he "isn't surprised" after hearing that Ariana hasn't been at the shop.
"I mean, Ariana can't be in two places at once. She's already left for Love Island, so I mean, unless she can teleport," he joked.
NEW DIRECTION?
The owner and President of Reality Network is hoping to have Katie and Ariana on one of their shows once the Broadway star is back in town since there's been so much "hype" surrounding their shop.
The timing would work out since filming for VPR Season 12 has been put on pause and will not be filming this summer.
A source, however, told The U.S. Sun that filming is expected to resume after summer, although no specific timeline was given.
It is unclear who from the Season 11 cast will be returning for Season 12 - this season starred Ariana, Katie, Tom Sandoval, James Kennedy, Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz and Scheana Shay.
Fans believe Ariana hinted that she won't be returning after removing VPR from her Instagram profile.
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The TV personality instead, has been promoting her other projects, including Love Island USA, the sandwich shop, Drink From Home Cocktails and her book, Single AF Cocktails.
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Business at the shop is 'steady,' a source close to Something About Her revealedCredit: The U.S. Sun
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Ariana will be in Fiji filming Love Island for the rest of the summerCredit: Ben Symons/Peacock
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Something About Her opened its doors on May 22, 2024Credit: Ruaridh Connellan for The US Sun
