Kevin Hart’s chain of vegan restaurants in California abruptly closed all four of its locations Tuesday, Eater Los Angeles reported.
Hart House promoted a vegan lifestyle that Hart adopted in 2020 while also attempting to provide meals for under $8, according to Eater Los Angeles.
Hart House CEO Andy Hooper sent the outlet a written statement confirming the closures. “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,” the statement reportedly read.
Hart House opened four restaurants in and around the Los Angeles area, according to the outlet. Its flagship shop reportedly opened its doors in May 2023, coming with a drive-thru intended to serve as a model for future restaurants. (RELATED: ‘F*ck Off’: Celebrity Chef Bans Vegans From Restaurant)
Hart House abruptly calls it quits after only two years on the scene https://t.co/aNmCuz4EbI
— Eater LA (@eaterla) September 11, 2024
“Opening on the corner of Sunset and Highland, across the street from Hollywood High School, adjacent to a Chick-fil-A, a couple 100 yards from an In-N-Out, [and 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,” Hooper told Eater Los Angeles last year.
It remains unclear why the restaurant chain closed up shop so quickly, FOX 11 reported.
Due to a July law that raised California fast food workers’ hourly wage from $16 to $20 an hour, many franchises began reducing hours and raising prices to remain afloat, according to FOX11.
Multiple Pizza Hut locations in the state cut their delivery services last year to comply with the law, known as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the outlet reported.
Other large franchises like McDonald’s and Chipotle have indicated that they will need to raise prices to meet the increased cost of labor, FOX11 reported.