VANDERPUMP Rules' Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix have finally opened their sandwich shop after months of delays.
The Bravo stars opened the doors of Something About Her on Wednesday, May 22, after a year of frustrating setbacks.
The shop is now open to the public and offers a variety of sandwiches, chips, baked goods, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
An LLC for the West Hollywood hotspot was first filed in July 2021.
Ariana, 38, and Katie, 37, teased that the sandwich shop would open in the summer of 2023 during the Season 10 finale of Vanderpump Rules.
The date was delayed to mid-October, and in December, The U.S. Sun reported that the expected opening had been pushed to January 2024.
Between the wait time to obtain specific permits, a patio debacle, and a few more obstacles, the reality stars were forced to extend their timeline.
HEALTH DEPT. ISSUES
Something About Her dealt with various health department issues, which forced the owners to make some major changes around the shop.
"They just heard back from Public Health and now they're dealing with issues with the kitchen sink," an insider told The U.S. Sun in December.
"It's one thing after another, so that's why the date keeps getting pushed back. It has nothing to do with the owners' busy schedule."
At the time, Ariana told Bravo TV that they were "still in red tape limbo" and were waiting on the next round of inspections.
"We have an incredible menu. Amazing staff. Very excited people ready to go. So we're just kind of waiting on that thumbs up, that stamp of approval," she added.
The establishment also needed a whole new flooring makeover, as a source told The U.S. Sun that the floor they had was "not for open food use."
PERFECTING THE PATIO
The Bravolebrities also had trouble with their outside patio for the shop, which had to be completely redone.
The front of the shop once had a "Something About Her" sign fastened on a yellow and white awning, along with a square-shaped patio for outdoor dining.
However, Ariana and Katie had to tear it down and start from scratch after learning they didn't have proper city permits.
They filed a new permit with the City of West Hollywood, proposing a different outdoor dining area and canopy that was permissible within limits.
The patio issues were enhanced even further when Ariana admitted someone had pooped on it during an episode of Season 11.
"I don't want to say that things at the restaurant are s**tty right now, but someone did just poop on our patio," she said in a confessional.
There is still no outdoor seating on the front patio, but the Bravo stars hope to have it set up by the end of summer.
PERMIT STRUGGLE
One of the major culprits behind the cafe's delayed opening has been in regards to obtaining the correct permits.
Katie and Ariana even mentioned the struggle during the first part of the VPR Season 11 reunion last week, noting how difficult it was to obtain inspections in West Hollywood.
The duo also had to wait nearly four months to obtain their liquor license.
They submitted an application with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in October 2023, and it was officially issued on February 26, 2024.
As of its opening, the shop currently sells wine and canned cocktails — including a spritz and hard lemonade from Loverboy, a collaboration with the stars of Bravo's Summer House.
Katie previously spoke about obtaining all of the permits necessary on a February episode of The Nikki & Brie Show.
"I think people really, genuinely think this is like, some kind of conspiracy theory when we’ve said so many times that like, we’ve truly been at the mercy of these different agencies and people that assign or give these permits out," she said.
"And it’s hard because especially in West Hollywood, they don’t operate the same way the greater Los Angeles does, and by the time you get someone to come out and do the inspection that you need, which sometimes takes weeks.
"If there’s any kind of repairs or changes that you need, then that takes a period of time and you’ve gotta get them to come back," she continued.
Katie added that she and Ariana needed physical copies of the permits before the city could do the final walk-through.
BROADWAY CALLING
After coming in second place on Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars last year, Ariana continued her onstage dream by starring in Chicago The Musical.
Ariana made her Broadway debut in January 2024, playing the lead role of Roxie Hart until the beginning of April.
The career move forced the former Sur bartender to move to New York City for a few months, taking her away from Something About Her preparation.
At the time Ariana left for the Great White Way, an insider told The U.S. Sun that it was a "cluster f**k behind the scenes."
"Ariana is not really involved right now. Everything has pretty much been left on Katie, and she can't do it alone," they added.
"I don't see how it could even open when Ariana is literally on the opposite coast for a couple of months."
Katie even got into a tiff with co-star Lala Kent during the Season 11 reunion, as Lala claimed Katie had complained to her over the phone about Ariana's absence while in New York.
However, there was no animosity left between the sandwich shop owners.
FINALLY READY!
Hundreds of people showed up to the grand opening on Wednesday, despite there being a few issues behind the scenes.
The wait to get into the shop was hours long, with many fans having traveled far to be there for the long-awaited day.
"Fans were really excited to finally step inside and experience what has been teased for a long time now," an eyewitness told The U.S. Sun.
"The line was wrapped around the corner and the wait to get in was over two hours."
Another said the opening "felt very anti-climatic" and that there were "no balloons, signs or decorations" or "anyone standing out front to signify it's a store opening."
The store opened 30 minutes late, at 10:30 am, partly due to issues with its POS (point of sale) system.
One witness said Ariana and Katie, who were there to meet and greet customers, seemed very stressed by the situation.
"So our POS system has decided that today is the day that it wants to not work," Ariana told customers when the shop opened.
"We are going to be going really slowly to make sure that everything comes out properly and on time, that our kitchen is actually getting the orders and that you guys are able to order and pay for things.
"So please bear with us. We're going to be moving slowly but we're very excited to have you. We're going to start letting people in I think one or two people at a time."
Some people also complained about the lack of seating space for the big day, calling it "inconsiderate" to not have added extra tables and chairs.
