Dede’s Green Scene: Eat Your Hart Out

Kevin Hart may be known for making people laugh in films such as Ride Along and Jumanji, but recently, the comedian and actor is making headlines about how people can eat healthier as well. He has opened up a chain of fast food plant-based restaurants in Los Angeles called Hart House, which feature American comfort classics remade with a plant-based twist. These include burgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, fries, and dairy-free milkshakes, all made without animal products, high fructose corn syrup, or preservatives. On top of that, all the food is home cooked and all the ingredients are “responsibly” sourced.

Hart isn’t the first celebrity to dip their toes in the restaurant business (remember Planet Hollywood anyone?), but not many have tried to open a plant-based fast food chain that’s meant to compete with the big names, like McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A. Inspired by his own issues with touring across the country and being unable to find plant-based options, Hart wanted to make plant-based options more available to those who wouldn’t normally try them. Though not a full-time vegetarian—Hart calls himself a “flexitarian” since he mostly sticks to a plant-based diet but occasionally eats chicken—Hart began looking at the plant-based way of eating as a lifestyle. He felt a plant-based diet is not only good for his health, but better for the environment too. 

In addition, Hart also wondered about accessibility for those who can’t afford to dine out at most vegetarian restaurants. It was important that Hart House keep the menu prices comparable to other fast food prices, with each item staying in the $5 to $7 price range (for most meals).

“As someone who has been preaching ‘Health is Wealth’, building Hart House felt like the natural evolution of my flexitarian lifestyle and my business ecosystem,” Hart said in a press release for Hart House. “I’m beyond proud of this industry-changing restaurant and the amazing team behind it, working tirelessly to create delicious, sustainable food that delivers ‘Can’t-Believe-It’ flavor in every bite.”

The restaurant is a collaboration between Hart, entrepreneur Andy Hooper, and chef Michael Salem. Chef Salem previously worked as the head of culinary innovation at Burger King and helped bring on the Impossible Whopper, a pivotal moment in the plant-based shift currently happening in the fast-food industry.

“I think one of the things that’s important when you’re thinking about building the next generation of quick service restaurants is acknowledging that it’s going to be plant-forward,” Hooper told Los Angeles Magazine. “That’s where things are going, both out of taste preference, but also out of necessity.” 

Hart’s venture into the plant-based fast-food industry is not surprising as he is an investor in vegan brand Beyond Meat and has worked with it since 2019 on several ad campaigns. When the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Hart and other Beyond Meat ambassadors, including NBA star Kyrie Irving, rallied to support the brand’s Feed A Million+ effort, which sent over a million vegan Beyond Burgers to those in need.

“Eating plant-based is actually fighting climate change. You know sometimes we overlook the most obvious things we can change and I don’t know why. Some things should be easy, like eating Beyond Meat,” Hart says in a Beyond Meat advertisement.

Hart also donated 10% of the opening day profits of Hart House to Inner City Arts, a non-profit organization that empowers children in Los Angeles through the arts. Hart House currently has four locations in California, but Hart is looking to open more. Here’s hoping that Kevin Hart opens a Hart House near me sometime soon!