Kevin Hart to Launch New Plant-based Restaurants in Los Angeles this Summer

EAT

Jun 22

The well-known comedian has teamed up with Burger King’s former innovation chef to revolutionize the quick-service sector with plant-powered food.

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart is bringing sustainable, affordable, and “crave-able” fast food to the quick-service restaurant sector with the launch of his first plant-based eatery.

The new, plant-powered venture is a collaboration between Hart, chef Michael Salem, and entrepreneur Andy Hooper. Salem previously worked as head of culinary innovation for Burger King, and helped bring the Impossible Whopper to the mainstream.

Taking to Instagram to announce the news, Hart revealed that he has “collaborated with an all-star team of partners and industry leaders to create an industry-changing restaurant called Hart House” that will be “expanding quickly”.

Hart House is slated to open its first location in the Los Angeles area this summer, with a second to follow later this year.

“Kevin sort of conceptualized this idea at the beginning of the pandemic,” CEO Andy Hooper told Los Angeles Mag. “If I were advising him at the time, I would say, ‘Don’t you dare ever start a restaurant, and don’t you ever start a restaurant in the middle of COVID,’ but after almost two years of really working on this menu and getting the food to a place where it can deliver on that promise, we’re ready to go and we’re excited to tell the world about Hart House and excited to serve the food.”

‘Can’t-believe-it’ flavor

The 100 percent plant-based restaurant will serve fast-food favorites, including burgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, fries, and milkshakes, alongside a selection of salads, sides, and dips. Free from animal products, artificial colors, preservatives, and corn syrup, the menu has been designed around the concept of “guilt-free, cheat-day” fast food.

Burgers include the Double Burg’r, which has two beef-style patties, cheese, salad, and Hart House Signature Sauce, and the Deluxe Crispy Chick’n, a vegan chicken burger served with ‘hunny’ mustard, pickles, and kale slaw.

“I founded Hart House to create a good experience that combines the joy of coming together over food, with the power of purpose,” Hart said in a statement. “Our amazing chefs and team members have crafted a 100% plant-based menu that delivers ‘can’t-believe-it’ flavor in every bite. I know you’re going to love it.”

Chef Michael Salem designed the Hart House menu to attract meat-eaters. By delivering ‘crave-able’ flavors and products that you want to share with your friends, he hopes to reinvent the fast-food industry with plant-forward foods that are better for animals, people, and the planet.

“I’ve seen too many animals die. I’ve been too guilty about the food I’ve been serving the community, making people really unhealthy for a long time, and I just don’t think it’s necessary," Salem said. “I think this is really the future of fast food, so that’s why I took the gig. I just thought it was an incredible chance to really make a difference and leave a legacy on food service and an industry that’s been so good to me.”

Want to eat more plants? Download your free What We Think, Wear & Eat Starter Kit to get insider secrets to living in line with your animal-loving values.

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