Kevin Hart is joining the ranks of celebrities with restaurants — by opening a vegan fast food joint in Los Angeles. Hart House has an entirely plant-based menu featuring burg’rs, chick’n sandwiches, salads, fries, tots, and milkshakes made without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial coloring, preservatives, or high-fructose corn syrup.
“We want to be plant-based for the people; not for the people in Hollywood who can afford a $19 burger, but for all the people — for Kansas City, for Compton, for Tallahassee, for Jacksonville, for Minneapolis,” Andy Hooper, CEO and founding partner of Hart House, told Nation's Restaurant News. “So you'll see our burg'rs and chick'n sandwiches are at the $5, $6, $7 price point, not at the $12, $13, $14 price point.”
Hart's foray into the food industry is part of a growing push by fast-food restaurants to deliver healthier and (still) affordable vegan options to consumers. The comedian and actor joined forces with Burger King's former head of culinary innovation, Mike Salem, to develop the Hart House menu, Eater LA reported. Salem has been credited with helping launch BK's meatless Impossible Whopper in 2019.
Plant-based restaurants and recipes have seen a huge spike in popularity recently, aided in part by social media trends that promote healthier eating. Sales of plant-based foods have grown 54% in the past three years to reach $7.4 billion, according to the Plant Based Foods Association.
Hart House is opening in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester on Thursday.
