Comedian Kevin Hart surprised fans with a social media announcement that he has closed down all locations of his vegan fast-food chain in the Los Angeles area just two years after opening the businesses. On Instagram, all Hart said was that he was starting a “new chapter.”
Veganism is the hardore choice of the vegetarian world. While vegetarians will still eat eggs, cheese, and dairy, vegans refuse to eat anything that has an ingredient that came from an animal. That puts milk and cheese off the menu, and the most committed refrain from eating honey, as they believe it exploits the bees.
Hart opened the Hart House locations a couple of years ago. In his sign-off message, he thanked his staff and customers for helping to “make the change we all craved,” whatever that may mean. Eater, a local dining guide, said they confirmed the closures from Hart House’s chief executive Andy Hooper. Hopper claimed that customer response to “the product” was “incredible.” He did not explain how this incredible response led to the closure of the restaurants.
All four Hart House locations were closed overnight by September 10.
Hart, who once starred in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” said in 2020 he wanted to open the restaurants after he changed his diet to a vegan one. He teamed up with Hooper to open the businesses, which he referred to as offering customers a “plant-based option” after being disappointed that fast food restaurants don’t offer foods catering to his extreme diet.
Hart said he wanted to “give people a place” to go to when they got cravings for fast food, but who want to “go plant-based.” “Plant-based” is apparently the socially mandatory replacement term in the 2020s for what normal people used to call “vegetarian.”
The Hart House menu featured all things you’d expect at a fast food joint—burgers, fried potatoes, even a “chicken” sandwich.
It’s not clear what led the comedian to shut his business down, but fast food places in the Golden State have been having a hard time since the legislature raised the minimum wage to $20 per hour. Popular chain Shake Shack is just one of many businesses who have shuttered their California locations as a result of high costs.
