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Southern California plant-based fast-food chain Hart House closed all four locations on September 10, 2024. The restaurant debuted in 2022 with actor and comedian Kevin Hart leading the charge to promote its mission for a vegan lifestyle. Hart House CEO Andy Hooper confirmed the news to Eater in a written statement: “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.”
In 2020, Hart announced that he had adopted a mostly plant-based diet and began working with Hooper to develop a fast-food brand selling chicken sandwiches, nuggets, and burgers for under $8 and combo meals for less than $15. Hart House avoided using Beyond and Impossible products by developing its line of proprietary patties.
Hart House opened its first location in August 2022 in Westchester, a block from Los Angeles International Airport’s busy In-N-Out Burger. The second location in Monrovia debuted in November 2022, while University Park opened in June 2023.
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The flagship Hart House location came online in May 2023 on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue featuring a drive-thru intended to be replicated for future stores. “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 in 2023.
The restaurant industry continues to face challenges due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, rising operational costs, and a faltering local film and television industry. In early September 2024, the ambitious East Coast burger chain Shake Shack shuttered five Los Angeles-area stores, including Culver City, Silver Lake, Koreatown, Downtown, and Canoga Park. Though Hart House and Shake Shack both diminished their LA presence within a week of each other, the state of California is experiencing a significant boost in fast-food jobs, even as the state’s mandated minimum wage increased from $15.50 to $20 an hour in April 2024.
