A New Era at SUR and the Unraveling of Marcus Johnson
SUR, the iconic restaurant in Los Angeles, is entering a new chapter, and it seems that one of its long-time servers, Marcus Johnson, has already found himself in hot water. During the premiere of Vanderpump Rules Season 12, Marcus’s actions during his shift sparked a major confrontation with Lisa Vanderpump, the owner of SUR.
In a confessional from the December 2 episode, Marcus expressed his view on working at SUR: “Working at SUR is a f—king playground for me. You gotta keep it interesting, or else we’re just serving tables.” He continued by highlighting his approach to the job: “There are servers that know the menu to a ’T.’ And they’ll tell you everything, down to the arugula or whatever. I’m just like, shaking it up. Love to get in people’s ears.”
However, Marcus also hinted at the consequences of his behavior when he said, “Everybody loves me here, so I’m not gonna get in trouble. What are you going to do, fire me? How?” This statement would soon prove to be overly optimistic.
The next day, Lisa admitted she was furious with Marcus. “Sometimes people get a little too comfortable, and they make ridiculous decisions, and this was one of them, and Marcus will pay for it,” she said in her confessional.
Marcus appears on Vanderpump Rules Season 12 Episode 1.
Photo: https://soeara.com
After a staff meeting ended with Lisa telling Marcus to “go home,” he broke the fourth wall outside the restaurant. “Didn’t expect that, I ain’t gonna lie,” he told producers. “Well, I mean, we all do that. But, I mean, I got caught. So, what can I say?”
A Night of Misconduct and Disregard for Responsibility
That same night, bartenders Chris Hahn and Natalie Maguire noticed a backlog of drinks waiting to be served. When they looked for waiters, none were found. Instead, Marcus and Venus Binkley were in the back of the house taking shots. “To an awesome night, my man. Let’s f—king have a good time,” Marcus toasted.
His behavior also frustrated his trainee, Jason Cohen. “Training with Marcus, I feel like I wanna do more. He’s like, ‘Do less. You come here, you just don’t work.’ I’m like, ‘What do I do?’ He’s like, ‘Nothing,’” Jason said.
When Marcus and Jason were later caught on camera sneaking more drinks, Marcus warned him, “Don’t tell Demy [Selem], SUR’s assistant manager.” But Marcus wasn’t as discreet as he thought.
Jason and Marcus appear on Vanderpump Rules Season 12 Episode 1.
Photo: https://soeara.com
Nathalie Pouille-Zapata, Lisa’s business partner, shared her concerns the next day. “Today, I was watching the camera because I was looking for something that I lost, and I saw that Marcus was drinking in the little barback kitchen. Teaching Jason how to do it—how to sneak in. And then he comes over here, chatting with Venus at the bar, casually asking the bartender for two shots. And they like took those shots, and went to like sneak two more drinks.”
Lisa pointed out that sneaking drinks was hardly a new issue at SUR. Viewers will remember The Valley’s Kristen Doute and Stassi Schroeder famously turning a tampon container into a flask during their Vanderpump Rules days.
A Shift in Attitude and Consequences
Lisa emphasized that the environment at SUR has changed. “Listen, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this bulls—t, okay? I mean, do we suspend four of them? How is that gonna hurt the business?” she asked.
But as she stressed in her confessional, the rules have evolved. “I know that people will sneak a drink here and there. I mean, this ain’t my first rodeo, that’s for sure. But, this is 2025, this isn’t 2013,” she said. “SUR has HR. We have to crack down on this kind of stuff.”
Marcus appears during Vanderpump Rules Season 12 Episode 1.
Photo: https://soeara.com
The Aftermath and a Warning
During a staff meeting, Lisa called out Marcus’s behavior. “Last night, what transpired, is Marcus standing at the back of house, swooping cups of sangria. Venus, standing here with Jason and Marcus taking shots—before you even start working. What kind of service are you going to give?” she asked.
She then focused her anger solely on Marcus: “I am not happy with you at all. And you know what the worst thing about it is? Is that here you are training somebody that I think is going to be part of the team and you know how you’re training him? You’re training him to get s—t-faced like you.”
Lisa ordered Marcus to gather his belongings and “go home,” but she stopped short of firing him—at least for now. “Have a really good think about it, because let me tell you, I don’t want to speak to you anymore,” she told him.
Check more of the SUR drama to come in the Season 12 trailer.
