Just two years and three weeks after opening the first of four stores, comedian Kevin Hart has closed down his Los Angeles Hart House chain.
No specific reason has been given for the sudden shutdown of the vegan brand, however, Hart House’s Instagram account posted a goodbye to its customers, saying: “To our team, guests and community, who helped make the change we all craved. A ‘Hartfelt’ goodbye as we start a new chapter.”
The vegan quick-service chain provided a diverse and affordable menu of vegan burgers, ‘chick’n’ sandwiches, and plant based milkshakes. There were also crispy chick’n nuggets with dipping options like creamy ranch, barbecue, and buffalo sauces. Additionally, the menu offered salads, french fries, tots, iced teas and limeade, and a ‘ similar-to-the-real-thing item’ – a milk shake made from an oat-and-soy blend.
Hart House CEO Andy Hooper reportedly confirmed the news to Eater Los Angeles, but the reason for the closure of the chain remains unclear.
Kevin Hart established the venture in 2022, two years after publicly announcing that he was following a plant-forward diet, cutting out red meat, fish and seafood after a serious accident. “I founded Hart House to create a good experience that combines the joy of coming together over food with the power of purpose,” he wrote on the restaurant’s website.
Turbulent Time
Hart House’s closure comes amid a turbulent time for plant-based restaurants in South California, and in the US as a whole.
Within Los Angeles, Vegan Drip Burger, Shojin, Nic’s on Beverly, Flore Vegan, Jewel, and Matthew Kenney’s VEG’D and Plant Food & Wine are among the plant-forward restaurants that have shut down this year alone. Shake Shack closed five stores in the LA area earlier this month.
This is part of a wider trend – according to the Los Angeles Times, at least 65 well-known restaurants closed in 2023. High inflation rates have squeezed consumer wallets, prompting them to spend less on dining out.
Plant proteins in the US also suffer from a major price gap, which has been accentuated by the cost-of-living crisis in America – despite the cost of meat climbing faster than plant-based alternatives, the latter are still 38% more expensive. This has also pushed some formerly meatless restaurants to add meat to to their menus, like Sage, Hot Tongue Pizza, Elf Cafe, Burgerlords, and Margo’s in Los Angeles.
That said, in California, the number of fast-food jobs available has reached an all-time high, despite the mandated minimum wage increasing from $US15.50 to $US20 in April.
