‘Pump Rules’ Star Raquel Leviss Reveals How James Kennedy Felt When She Was Hired At SUR By Lisa Vanderpump

Raquel Leviss joined the staff at SUR Restaurant this past spring as a waitress at the West Hollywood hotspot. In a recently-released sneak peek at the premiere episode of Vanderpump Rules Season 8, she is seen chatting with Lisa Vanderpump about the way in which her boyfriend, James Kennedy, has reacted to her new gig.

As Leviss clocked in for her 16th shift at the restaurant, Vanderpump approached the longtime model and asked her how she liked her waitressing job. Right away, Leviss made it clear that she was enjoying her time at the restaurant thus far and noted that her past pageant participation had actually helped with customers.

“I greet my tables with confidence and a big smile,” she explained.

As Vanderpump Rules fans will recall, Vanderpump gave Kennedy the boot from SUR Restaurant during Season 7 after he continued to act out and insult the women at the venue. So, when it came to hiring Leviss, Vanderpump admitted she did not initially want to get involved in the complicated situation. That said, she decided to give Leviss a chance prior to the start of filming on Season 8.

When Vanderpump asked Leviss what Kennedy thought about her working at her restaurant, Leviss admitted that it is a “trigger” for her boyfriend.

“He sees me put on my SUR uniform and he’s about to cry watching me leave the door,” Leviss said.

In response, Vanderpump encouraged Leviss not to “get caught up in [James’] naughtiness.”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Kennedy announced he was sober months ago, and ever since, he and Leviss have been quite happy in their years-long relationship. According to a report from Hollywood Life in October, Leviss and Kennedy are focused on the positive things in life after Kennedy turned a corner during Season 8 with his newfound sobriety.

“They spend most of their time together and their relationship is going really well. Raquel feels like James is growing up and sobriety is really helping him! He’s even on some good speaking terms with Lala again,” an insider revealed.

As the source explained, Leviss is happy at her new job at SUR Restaurant and is staying focused on her life at the restaurant as well as her relationship with Kennedy. As for her Vanderpump Rules co-stars, the insider went on to say that Leviss is doing her best to steer clear of the ongoing drama between her female co-stars.