Southern Hospitality was inspired by Leva Bonaparte’s love of watching her staff on the CCTV cameras. She joined Southern Charm in Season 7 as a main character and soon became a motherly figure to the group.

When she came up with the idea of Southern Hospitality, according to Collider, she knew a spinoff based at her restaurant and bar would be a success based on her own interest in the lives of the staff of her establishments. The spin-off first aired on Nov. 28, 2022, and is currently in its third season.

“I had these little cameras in Republic and when I would leave, my husband and I would sit there and watch what they were doing. So yes, there was always a ton of drama at work and I would sit on a Friday night and watch them. So, yes, I did know 100%,” the restauranteur shared.

Leva Bonaparte Knew Southern Hospitality Would Be A Hit After Auditioning For Southern Charm

When Leva Bonaparte joined Southern Charm, she was already thinking about creating a spin-off. She admitted to PEOPLE that she started coming up with the idea for Southern Hospitality during the audition process for Southern Charm.

The mother of one continued, “And there was definitely part of me that was like, ‘I would rather soft launch myself on an established show than try and do a show my own coming out of nowhere.’ I was thinking long game.”

One of the key elements Leva wanted to highlight during her appearance on reality TV was how diverse her staff at Republic is. “I wanted to show the complexity of a true working space and the real variety of people merging within it night after night,” she told PEOPLE.

She admitted that Southern Charm really only shows one type of Charleston native, yet Leva wanted to show audiences “a spectrum of stories.” The restaurant owner is proud to be able to show Bravo audiences her team, who includes a “trust fund kid living at home in their parents’ mansion to the single parent, trying to make ends meet.”

Leva told The List in December 2022 that her staff were chosen for their personality as much as their work resume, which is why they make such great reality TV stars.

“People go to hang out with people that they like, so when spaces are run by managers, everybody loves them,” she said.

Inside Leva Bonaparte’s Businesses

Leva Bonaparte and her business partner-husband, Lamar Bonaparte, currently operate four popular spots in downtown Charleston. This includes their nightclub Republic Garden & Lounge, which is the focus of the Southern Charm spin-off, Southern Hospitality.

Originally, Canadian-born Leva and her husband were in real estate. During the real estate slump, the couple became interested in the nightlife scene. “We’re not sommeliers, not foodies, not chefs — not anything like that. But we are business people, so we just focused on making sure the numbers made sense, hired the right people, and YouTubed our way through the rest of it,” she told PEOPLE.

Leva Bonaparte’s Current Businesses:

• Southern Hospitality, primarily follows the life of the staff of Republic Garden and Lounge, a go-to Charleston spot due to its exclusive VIP booths, DJ nights, and busy dancefloor.
• She also has an upscale restaurant called Bourbon N’ Bubbles, which, according to Bravo, was inspired by “Gucci meets Mad Men” and is a fusion of whiskey and champagne menus.
• Mexican and sushi fusion restaurant MESU was inspired by Leva’s unusual pregnancy cravings. When expecting their son Lamar. Jr, she could not have sushi but had an unusual craving to pair “a piece of sushi and some guacamole in my mouth with salsa.”
• During Leva’s first season as a Southern Charm cast member, audiences followed her struggles in opening her upmarket sports bar, 1st Place. Since that season, the restaurant has been renamed Lamar’s Sporting Club.

Southern Hospitality Vs. Southern Charm: Spot The Differences

Southern Hospitality and Southern Charm share similarities and stars, but both are fundamentally different shows. Southern Hospitality has a younger cast and explores workplace dynamics, unlike Southern Charm, which has an older, richer, and whiter cast.

According to Collider, Leva Bonaparte revealed that the drama is much more low stakes with her restaurant-based spin-off.

The business owner continued, “When you’re young you’re just able to adjust, when you’re older you get ‘you’re not going to f*** with my family.”

Although the two reality shows have different tones, there are similarities between the Bravo series. Stars of Southern Charm frequently pop into Leva’s establishments to party, with some even having romances with her staff!

How Southern Hospitality Is Different From Vanderpump Rules

Although Southern Hospitality is often described as Southern Charm’s version of Vanderpump Rules, Leva Bonaparte says there are some differences between the two Bravo spin-offs.

• Leva describes the show as “the love child of Vanderpump and Below Deck because it has the glitz and glam, but it’s also the chaos and pressure of having to please and entertain clients in a really, elevated way.”

She also told the outlet she believes Southern Hospitality is different from Vanderpump Rules purely because of the different “pressures” between restaurants and clubs.

The employees who work at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants are quite different from those who work at Republic. “These kids want to be in this business,” Leva explained. “They’re not trying to be actors and musicians and this and that. The majority of them want to be in hospitality. So, it’s different there.”