Kevin Hart’s Vegan Restaurants Have Abruptly Closed After 2 Years. What Went Wrong?

Two years ago, Kevin Hart opened the Hart House vegan restaurant chain. The actor and comedian’s idea was to offer a healthier vegan alternative to typical fast-food offerings. However, on Sept. 10, all of the locations closed just shy of their second anniversary in business, proving that not even celebrity star power can keep faltering restaurants open.

Kevin Hart Abruptly Closed All Hart House Locations

Nation’s Restaurant News is reporting that after just two years in operation, Hart House, the vegan quick-service restaurant company founded by comedian Kevin Hart and based in Los Angeles, abruptly closed all four of its locations on Sept. 10.

The abrupt closure of Hart House was announced on its Instagram account, with a farewell message to its followers that said, “To our team, guests, and community, who helped make the change we all craved. A Hartfelt goodbye for now as we start a new chapter.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hart House (@myharthouse)

Though the business was led by CEO Andy Hooper (previously president of &pizza), Kevin Hart was a key investor and the celebrity face of the brand, which offered a varied and reasonably priced menu that included vegan burgers, “chicken” sandwiches, and plant-based milkshakes. The company was well-known for creating its exclusive meat substitute proteins rather than working with outside suppliers of plant-based meat.

As recently as February, Hart House announced intentions to add new locations to Atlanta and the Washington, D.C. Furthermore, Hooper reported at the time that the company was enjoying positive same-store sales so far in 2024 and that in 2023 sales had increased by 350% as a result of the opening of two new sites.

“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,” Hooper said in a statement sent to Eater.

Restaurant Closures Have Plagued the Industry

Kevin Hart is just the latest restauranteur to be hit with the restaurant closures that have been plaguing the industry. Over the course of the previous year, a net decrease in restaurant units occurred in roughly one-third of the top 500 establishments, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Now in 2024, KFC, Hooters, Rubio’s, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, and Shake Shack are among the restaurants with locations that have closed.

Red Lobster, of course, is perhaps the most well-known example, with a Chapter 11 filing in May resulting in a restructuring of the entire company.

Red Lobster will only have roughly 500 open locations after the closures are finished. In 2023, 650 locations of the chain restaurant remained operational. Fortress Credit Corp., a restaurant management lender that also owns Logan’s Roadhouse, J. Alexander’s, and Krystal, is purchasing the brand.

“I’m looking forward to working with our team members across North America to reinvigorate the brand by making it the best place to work for our employees and improving the experience for our guests,” said the restaurant’s new CEO in a statement to the New York Post.

While it is unclear what caused Kevin Hart and Hart House to go out of business, experts blamed Red Lobster’s undoing on the casual dining chain’s wildly popular “Unlimited Shrimp” promotion. The chain had to meet demand despite its $20 price point. As a result, it is said that the restaurant lost more than $11 million during the third quarter.

In the Middle District of Florida, Red Lobster Management LLC voluntarily filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. In the wake of this filing, Red Lobster plans to streamline operations, reduce the number of restaurants in its chain, and “pursue a sale of substantially all of its assets.”