Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant Pump will reopen on March 17 after LA hotspot ‘suspended over tax problems’
LISA Vanderpump’s famous Los Angeles eatery, Pump, will reopen on March 17 after it was suspended by the California State Tax Board, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
The hotspot that’s been heavily featured on ’s has been , according to records obtained by The Sun.
Despite the restaurant’s neighbors re-opening last year, Pump has throughout the pandemic.
However, a rep for , 60, confirmed to The Sun that the establishment will reopen on Wednesday, March 17.
A team of workers are currently working on both the interior and exterior of the building to get it back ready in tip-top shape to open.
Painters, welders, movers and more staffers were seen preparing the upscale eatery on Thursday.
Though it’s days from their planned re-opening, Pump is still listed as “suspended” from the California Franchise Tax Board.
The site states businesses’ with this standing are due to failure to file tax returns, failure to pay taxes and/or failure to pay penalties/interest.
Records show filings were made as recently as February 2nd, 2021 for the company account however, no status changes were indicated on the forms.
In order for the company to get back in good standing with the state, Pump would need to file any allegedly past due tax returns and pay any alleged past due tax balances, according to the state's website.
It’s unclear what exactly caused the California Franchise Tax Board to suspend Pump or how much money the company allegedly owes.
However, Lisa responded on Twitter and admitted her "taxes were delayed" because "everybody was working from home and [the] restaurant was closed" - though the surrounding eateries in Pump's area reopened months ago.
She added that it at least "wasn’t in Chapter 11 like 10,000 others that have closed across America."
Lisa owns the well-known eatery that opened in May 2014 with her businessman husband, Ken Todd.
The couple own and in West Hollywood, CA including Pump, Tom Tom, Sur and Villa Blanca - which shut its doors permanently last year.
She touched on her business and financial struggles while appearing on on Wednesday.
The spoke of how her new show, Pooch Perfect, has helped her during this “dark” time.
"For me, to do two shows with this feel good factor in times where it’s been pretty dark and life’s been pretty stressful…
"I have to say, even now trying to get the businesses back together is going to be a challenge,” she told the ladies of the daytime show.
While fans of would always describe Lisa as being “very wealthy,” the restauranteur said in September she lost a lot of money because of the pandemic.
Lisa explained: “Five months of paying rent and insurance, and having no business is taxing, stretching, [has been] a bit of a nightmare.
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“But we’ll get back on track soon. When we do decide to open, we have good-sized patios. Pump is 90 percent garden.
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“So we are very fortunate with that but we’ve just been waiting for it to be safe.”
Despite Pump’s massive patio, it did not re-open when Los Angeles county allowed outdoor dining months ago.