What’s Behind Kevin Hart’s Abrupt Closing of His Hart House Vegan Restaurant Chain

The sudden closure of all 4 Los Angeles locations of Kevin Hart’s vegan fast-food chain Hart House has industry experts wondering concerning the sustainability of vegan food businesses.

When Hart teamed up with Andy Hooper, former CEO of &pizza, to launch Hart House in 2022, the plan was to open 100 locations over five years. Menu offerings included plant-based “burgers” and “chick’n” sandwiches, consistent with Hart’s transition to a mostly plant-based weight loss program in 2020. Hooper also had an interest in entering the patron packaged goods industry.

Hart House initially opened to widespread acclaim and support. TikTok food sensation Keith Lee gave Hart House a glowing review when he visited in 2023. He praised the place for its reasonably priced prices, with sandwiches priced under $8 and combos under $15, and called a sandwich he tried “amazing.”

Now that the corporate has closed all of its locations, some experts are calling the plan “ambitious.”

According to Food InstituteHart House was faced with a rise within the California minimum wage from $15.50 to $20 (as the corporate already offered higher wages, extensive health care, and worker advantages) and a saturated market.

“Consumers may have viewed Hart House as a novelty rather than a serious player in the fast-food industry,” Bassem Mostafa, chief market analyst and owner of Globemonitor Market Research Agency, told The Food Institute.

He added: “While Kevin Hart’s star power has given him name recognition, it has not necessarily translated into consistent customer traffic and retention, both of which are key to surviving in a competitive restaurant market.”

Hart House isn’t the one vegan food business to recently close shop. The Food Institute also reports a “wave” of closures across the country, including the closure of 40% of its locations by the Veggie Grill chain, Stalk & Speed ​​​​in Minneapolis, Wild Thing in Oregon and VegeNation in Las Vegas.

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“The response to the product has been incredible. We thank our dedicated team, customers and community partners for helping us make the transition we wanted and for their unwavering support of Hart House,” Hooper noted in a press release confirming the closure of Hart House, The Food Institute reported.

High and rising operating costs in an already saturated market may mean that Hart House simply won’t give you the chance to compete in its previous form. Instead of using Beyond or Impossible patties like many other establishments offering vegan options, Hart House has provide you with its own. While Lee appeared to like them, others have recently expressed the alternative opinion.

According to Daily mailsome have even gone thus far as to match Hart House to other black-owned vegan brands, corresponding to the wildly successful Slutty Vegan. It’s hard to inform whether the reviews were written in good faith or not, but we do know that Hart likely doesn’t care.

In a recent episode of his podcast,Golden Minds with Kevin Hart,” he told his “Fright Night” co-star Chloe Bailey that he “never” reads reviews for “any” of his material — good or bad.

“I don’t get caught up in the good or bad version of it, because I get caught up in the idea and then I tell myself I’m going to do it, I work with people to do it, I finish it, and then I see that idea on the big screen or the small screen or in script form,” he said, adding, “I said, ‘Man, great. I set my mind to something and I finished it.’ So I’m happy with the fact that I get to do the things that I say I’m going to do. What other people think about it doesn’t affect my joy in my goal of finishing it.”

It stays a mystery what the longer term holds for Hart House, although the corporate’s farewell statement Instagram suggests “next chapter.”