The health food craze continues its attempts to break into the fast food market, this time with LA-based restaurant Hart House. Owned by famed comedian and actor Kevin Hart, Hart House opened its first, and so far only, location on August 25th near LAX.
More Than Just A Business
The restaurant, described as a “passion project” by Hart, offers all of the traditional staples of a fast food restaurant; burgers, fries, milkshakes, fried chicken, and more. The catch is, every menu item is one hundred percent plant-based. Theoretically, this allows consumers a more healthy option within the fast food space while also appealing to vegetarian and vegan diners, groups that have been historically neglected and excluded from many fast food options.
Hart House is not the only quick-service plant-based concept to emerge in recent years, but it is by far the most notable. Kevin Hart brings huge name recognition and star power to his restaurant, which will surely face immense competition both from other health-focused restaurants and traditional fast food options in the already saturated Los Angeles food scene.
However, Hart is more than just the face and wallet of the operation. Kevin plays a role in the designing of the menu and “personally signs off on” items before launch. Along with the obvious benefits of a Hollywood star as an owner, there is also huge potential for growth within this previously niche dining experience. According to reports, the plant-based food market’s overall revenue jumped a whopping six percent in 2021.
Delicious And Affordable
Speaking with reporters, CEO Andy Hooper stressed the importance of plant-based options for consumers in the face of global supply chain disruptions and as of yet unclear effects of climate change on precarious meat and factory farming industries. Hooper stressed the main focus of Hart House was on providing “craveable” food at a reasonable price point. “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,” Hooper said. “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.”
It remains to be seen if Hart House will become a global success like McDonald’s, a regional superpower such as Culver’s or Whataburger, or if it will fail completely. Still, if Hart House remains true to its concept and delivers on its promises of delicious and affordable vegan fast food, then the sky is the limit.
