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Kevin Hart’s vegan Los Angeles-based fast-food chain Hart House has just closed.
Read more: From McDonald’s To Taco Bell: The Ultimate Guide To Vegan Fast Food
Hart House unexpectedly shut all four locations on September 10, 2024, and CEO Andy Hooper confirmed the news in a statement earlier this week.
Over the last two years, Hart House opened storefronts in LA’s Westchester, Monrovia, and University Park neighborhoods, along with a drive-thru on the corner of Sunset and Highland. The chain was notable for its competitive pricing and proprietary vegan meats. Hooper has not confirmed the reason for the closures.
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart launched Hart House two years ago to promote the plant-based lifestyle, and described the brand as a “new option within fast food.” Hart has talked about his flexitarian lifestyle with interviewers and previously described himself as a “plant-based eater,” avoiding red meats like beef, pork, and lamb, as well as shellfish. Hart House strived to cater for meat-eaters as well as vegans, and one of its slogans was “It’s for everyone.”
Read more: Is Kevin Hart Vegan? Here’s What He’s Said About Plant-Based Eating
Why are plant-based restaurants closing?
The restaurant industry has always been a challenging place for businesses to thrive, but the changing landscape is making it harder than ever for newer businesses to make ends meet.
As the rising cost of living causes many customers to curb meals out, the price of ingredients, rent, and keeping the power on has prompted even major fast food chains like TGI Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Applebees to shutter multiple locations.
Some media outlets are quick to highlight changing consumer habits and the closure of plant-based restaurants like Hart House as the beginning of the end for veganism. However, it’s likely that the simple cost of doing business – and competing with larger, well-established chains – make continuing impossible for many brands, regardless of whether they’re vegan. Countless vegan businesses are thriving and expanding all over the world, and there is a rapidly growing number of people adopting the lifestyle.
“The response to the product has been incredible, and we thank our committed team, our customers, and our community partners for helping make the change we all craved, and for their unwavering support of Hart House,” said Hooper in his statement, per Eater.
Read more: ‘Veganism Is Dead’: Say Media Outlets – Does The Data Agree?
