Has Housewives Helped Lisa's Restaurant Empire?

These days, Lisa Vanderpump is a household name. In fact, so are her L.A.-based eateries. And Lisa says that recognition has a lot to do with the fact that she stars on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

"I think it was the smart move to do because suddenly we're in 137 countries," she told Bloomberg. "So I have these three restaurants, now we just opened our third Pump in West Hollywood and I have Sur, which Vanderpump Rules is kind of largely about...And Housewives centered quite a lot around Villa Blanca. So, yes, I think it was beneficial. We get a lot of people from all over the country and all over the world—so absolutely it was a good move."

Speaking of Pump, which Lisa opened last May, she dished a bit about the hotspot in the interview. "I think a lot of people tear down gardens to create parking lots and we did the exact opposite," she said of the restaurant's olive trees. "It really does look beautiful. It was initially intended to be a gay restaurant because I was in the middle of boys' town and it's kind of shifted a little bit. It's 70 and 30 'cause I'm a huge gay [rights] advocate and spokesperson for GLAAD."

Most recently, Lisa was recognized not only for her entrepreneurial spirit, but also for her work in the gay community. This week she was named "Woman of the Year" by the California State Assembly, which makes sense given the women she looks up to.

"I think when I look at Elizabeth Taylor and that's mainly because I saw how she stood up for the gay community. She put herself out there when she really didn't have any support at the tome" she said. "Same as Princess Diana—that was one of the first images of a woman sitting on a bed holding a person's hand a victim of this insidious disease and not caring. So I think those two women."

[Source: Bloomberg]