Tom Schwartz Is Bummed Over Imminent Closure Of Schwartz And Sandy's

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz shocked fans on Monday, after he announced that Schwartz And Sandy's would close by the end of the year — i.e., really soon.

Schwartz And Sandy's is a bar and restaurant in Los Angeles, owned and operated by Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval — and to avoid confusion, we'll refer to each Tom by their surnames from here onward.

The reality TV co-stars opened Schwartz And Sandy's exactly two years ago, in November 2022, amid challenges like the impact of the ongoing Covid pandemic on the hospitality industry; at the time, we reported:

"Of all the issues that the Toms had to deal with while opening Schwartz & Sandy's, the biggest had to do with COVID-19.

"When the Daily Mail posted an article about the business opening that had to be pushed back several times, they revealed the pandemic caused major issues that eventually were overcome."

Reviews of Schwartz And Sandy's remain mixed, but several reviewers praised its "vibe," as well as the selection of drinks and the quality of the "bar food."

Schwartz And Sandy's hadn't even been open for a year when Sandoval was swept into a massive controversy known as "Scandoval," and the VPR drama appeared to spill over into their restaurant operations.

In July 2023, we reported:

"[Tom Schwartz] opened up to Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor, who used to be his Vanderpump Rules co-stars. And he said that he was 'taking a break from Tom right now. I haven't seen him in a while.'

"He also said, '[Tom Sandoval] made a big mess. And then, you know, he left it for us to clean up back at the businesses. And it's hard for me not to be resentful of him.'"

However, Schwartz And Sandy's initially prevailed, and remarkably, the fledgling business didn't immediately buckle under the weight of "Scandoval" — although, as Schwartz basically said, they didn't benefit from it in any way, and it was not an ideal circumstance in their very first year.

In July of this year, new developments relating to "Scandoval" appeared to prompt Sandoval to deactivate his Instagram account under heavy commenter fire, but it was eventually restored.

Now both Toms have posted about their decision to close Schwartz And Sandy's — and the difference in the tone of comments on their respective Instagram posts was hard to miss.

'Sad As Hell To Post This'

On Monday (November 25), Schwartz shared the first of the two Instagram posts.

In addition to a carousel of images, he wrote a long caption, and one of the images was a text-based statement:

In his caption, Schwartz clearly had extremely mixed emotions, attempting to celebrate while feeling morose.

He encouraged followers to book some final events, and said in part:

Well s*** guys, sad as hell to post this. I’ll do a more sentimental post down the road. Just wanna keep it upbeat and throw some parties to close out the year ...

Schwartz's first image was the statement, which was kind of hard to read (and long).

It began:

"There's no easy way to say this but after careful consideration, Greg, Tom and I made the decision to close Schwartz and Sandy's by the end of the year. This was not an easy conclusion. So this is our farewell tour.

"Let Tom & I host your holiday parties, birthdays, even a funeral for your lizard (rip Daug) It's a celebration so many of us working here have poured our hearts into over the last few years.

"Let's end this era on a high note and come on by, bring your friends, toast to the upcoming holidays and let's manifest together a kick ass New Year ..."

Notably, Schwartz said that he had "some peace in knowing I gave my absolute all into S&S, fully committed with every fiber in my being" — which was not a "we statement."

Sandoval's Instagram post appeared about an hour later, with a short statement by itself — going by their individual posts alone, Schwartz appeared far more attached to Schwartz And Sandy's.

That impression seemed to carry through in the comments; on Schwartz's post, Shahs Of Sunset's Mercedes Javid wrote:

"I’m sorry, Tom. It’s at no fault of yours. It was a gorgeous space that you built and the food was yummy."

Comments on Schwartz's post tended to be along those lines, commending him for trying so hard to make Schwartz And Sandy's a success.

Sandoval didn't caption his image statement, and comments on his post were not at all supportive.

While several Bravolebrities left messages of support on Schwartz's post, none commented visibly on Sandoval's, and his top comments blamed him for the closure:

"Smh, you will never take responsibility for what is the fallout of your poor choices and actions[.]"

"Man you really tanked your own business. 🔥👏"

"Should have listened to Lisa [Vanderpump], your ego is too big."

One user said it was "all [Sandoval's fault]," and another wrote: "If it isn’t the consequences of one’s own actions. Poor Schwartzy."

Although neither post provided an official closing date for Schwartz And Sandy's, Schwartz seemed to suggest the venue would remain open until at least the end of December for holiday engagements.