Lisa Vanderpump on Vanderpump Rules: "I Have to Toughen Up With Them — But It's Not a Playground"

Lisa Vanderpump said it plainly: "I have to toughen up with them — but it's not a playground. You do see the other side too: I feel compassionately for th…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On December 17, 2012, NBC Universal hosted a press conference call with Lisa Vanderpump ahead of the Bravo premiere of Vanderpump Rules, the docu-series following the staff at her West Hollywood restaurant SUR. The show was set to premiere January 7, 2013, as part of a two-hour Real Housewives of Beverly Hills block. Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton was on the call.

How are you different, personality-wise, in your own show versus what we see on the Housewives?

I think you've seen the different aspects of my life. I have to be tougher and I don't show as much lenience to my employees as I do my friends — because if I didn't take authority over them they would run amok. In fact that's what they do in Housewives. Maybe I do need to change my strategy and act like the Housewives work for me. But I think I'm virtually the same person — it is a business. You do see the other side too: I feel compassionately for them. A lot of people say, why don't you fire this one? And I say, because I understand a lot of them are kids and they make mistakes. I suppose I do feel a certain amount of responsibility, and you see that in the show very clearly. — Lisa Vanderpump

In reality shows everybody's trying to be the star of the show — was there anybody in your show who was trying to dominate it or get more attention, that maybe you had to step in and take control of?

I think it's always the loudest story that gets documented. With Housewives it's more difficult because it's a set group of women. With SUR, employees can change and rotate. At this time there was such a loud storyline between Stassi and Jax — that's what they got, that's what they documented. But most of the time I feel Stassi is a bit of the ring leader at SUR. I probably make allowances for her because she works with my daughter and is one of her best friends. But you always have somebody that's more prominent and a louder character. — Lisa Vanderpump

Were the Housewives supportive of your spin-off, or was there anybody who was jealous? And if they were, how did you deal with it?

It's really funny, actually. The day a lot of people said the pilot wasn't going to be picked up was actually the day I was given the news that it was. So people were saying, oh commiserations, it hasn't been picked up — and I was sitting there knowing it had. I think there's some competitiveness, but I'm not going to say there is. Taylor sent me flowers, which I thought was really sweet. Brandi's been very supportive. Kyle tweeted she loved Vanderpump Rules. Adrienne never mentioned it. I just kind of went along on my own doing it. Maybe there would be some competitiveness — it's rare to get a spin-off — but I was the one that had a restaurant. Bravo saw enough of the restaurant in my life to know it warranted a pilot. — Lisa Vanderpump

On her management style at SUR:

SUR is a little more difficult to manage than any other place. Many of the staff have worked for me at least two years — it ends up becoming like a family, albeit a family with problems. They're all kind of want to be doing something else, which is annoying to me that it's not their priority. I know many of our servers want to be actresses, models, dancers, singers. That's just who comes in for a job in West Hollywood. I have to be firm, but I also end up with that motherly aspect because you end up getting close to some of them. — Lisa Vanderpump

On the golden Vanderpump rule of restaurant management:

I know it sounds cliché, but the customer is nearly always right. But I'm also very ambiance driven. As important as the food is, I love the huge flower arrangements, the great lighting, the music — it's a complete experience. When people say to me, come to this little hole in the wall but the food's great, I'm not interested. I want the whole nine yards. And if it's not working, we take it off. Everything is a learning curve. — Lisa Vanderpump

On her key to being a successful businesswoman:

If you're passionate about what you do — which I am, I love being in them — then you never have to work a day in your life. Each restaurant has its own identity. You can't just do a chain. I look at a space and think, what would I like to do here? The Sur project was just my latest baby. To have a garden in the middle of West Hollywood, to be on Robertson — I couldn't resist it. — Lisa Vanderpump

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar .