Until it disappears from the green!
Comedian and actor Kevin Hart's plant-based fast food chain, Hart House, has suddenly closed all of its locations just two years after opening.
The “Jumanji” star's four Los Angeles-area stores officially closed on Tuesday and without warning, Hart House CEO Andy Hooper confirmed. Eater.
“The response to our products has been incredible and I'm grateful to our dedicated team, customers, community partners and their unwavering support of Heart House for helping us deliver the change we all crave,” Hooper told the outlet.
The CEO did not give a reason for the closure.
On Wednesday, Hart House announced it would be closing all of its restaurants. Instagram.
“We say goodbye to Hartfeldt as we begin a new chapter,” the post read.
“Thank you – our team, our guests and our community – for helping us make the change we all so desperately needed.”
As reported by Eater, the “Ride Along” actor began working with Hooper in 2020 to develop a plant-based fast-food chain.
Hart said the idea came to him after switching to a mostly plant-based diet, and announced plans to launch Hart House in 2022.
Hart House will serve vegan burgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, fries, tots, salads and milkshakes, with the goal of “creating incredible experiences that combine the joy and power of purpose that comes from coming together around food,” Hart said in a company press release. Website.
“Our incredible chefs and team members have created a 100% plant-based menu that delivers incredible flavor in every bite. We know you're going to love it.”
According to the plant-based fast food restaurant's mission statement, Heart House is “committed to the future of food and our overall health.”
“Our mission is simple: to make the food you know and love better for you, your wallet and the planet.”
According to Eater, the closure of Hart House follows the closure of another well-known restaurant by Shake Shack, the popular Los Angeles burger chain.
The East Coast burger chain announced in August that it would close five locations in Southern California by the end of September.
The rapid closures of fast-food restaurants come five months after a new bill raising the minimum wage to $20 went into effect in California.
In that short time, California fast-food restaurants have cut about 10,000 jobs as struggling franchisees cut labor costs and raised prices to stay afloat.
Several major chains, including McDonald's, Burger King and even the popular low-cost In-N-Out Burger, have raised prices to offset rising wages.
Last month, the California Fast Food Workers Union, a branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), announced a new list of demands at the inaugural meeting of the state's Fast Food Council.
One of their demands was a further increase in the minimum wage.
The union is calling for workers' wages to be increased to $20.70 an hour by Jan. 1, 2025 “to address the rising cost of living.”
