Only two years after its launch, Kevin Hart’s vegan fast-food company Hart House has closed all its locations. The company closed all four locations in Southern California on Tuesday, according to CEO Andy Hooper, as Eater LA reported.
Hooper told Eater in an interview, “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.”
Hart House also posted a message on Instagram saying, “Thank You. A Hartfelt goodbye for now as we start a new chapter.”
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According to the Daily Mail, the eatery, which is run by Hooper, the former president of &Pizza, and is about 50% owned by Hart, revealed intentions to grow in January by adding four to six more outlets and looking at markets in Atlanta and Washington, DC.
Following Hart’s public pledge to adopt a largely plant-based diet in 2020, the company was founded in 2022 amid an explosion of plant-based burger options in Los Angeles. It specialized on vegan “burg’rs,” “chick’n” sandwiches, shakes, and tots.
The goal was to provide a conventional fast-food experience without using any animal products. The chain also promised to be affordable, with burgers starting at $8 and combo meals costing less than $15.
The chain’s first drive-thru site, Hart House’s flagship store, debuted in May 2023 at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
At the time, Hooper described the Hollywood location as symbolic of the brand’s ambitions, stating, “Opening on the corner of Sunset and Highland, across the street from Hollywood High School, adjacent to a Chick-fil-A, and just a few yards from an In-N-Out, [inside] a former McDonald’s building is about as emblematic as you can get of our aspiration to be the future of quick-service restaurants.”
At Hart House, Hooper sought to create a “sustainable employment experience” by offering generous perks and higher pay to entice employees to stay. The company provided health insurance, a lifestyle spending account, and an interest-bearing savings account to its employees.
It is the most recent in a long string of restaurant companies to face difficulties this year, such as Red Lobster and BurgerFi, both of which declared bankruptcy.
