In June 2022, actor and comedian Kevin Hart announced he was to launch a chain of vegan fast food restaurants. Just two months later, in August, the first Hart House opened near LAX. Hart House, which serves plant-based burgers, fries, shakes and more, has since rolled out to two more locations. So everyone naturally started to ask, is Kevin Hart vegan?
Hart is known for his stand-up comedy, as well as being an entrepreneur who turned funny-man roles in films like Jumanji and Ride Along into a burgeoning media empire as owner of HartBeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud. So his venture into fast food was an unexpected move for the actor, and many people have been wondering if Hart is vegan himself.
Here’s everything you need to know about what Hart eats, and what he has said about his diet and lifestyle.
Hart has called himself many things, but vegan isn’t one of them. It’s thought that Hart follows a mostly plant-based or “flexitarian” diet. The latter is a fairly ill-defined word that people use to describe themselves when they mostly avoid eating meat, but who aren’t entirely plant-based or even vegetarian.
The father of four has told interviewers that he doesn’t eat red meat (including beef, pork, and lamb) or shellfish. Speaking to Joe Rogan on his podcast back in 2020, Hart described himself as a “plant-based eater,” but also added that he does eat chicken from time to time. Hart also said that people could follow a plant-based diet without becoming “engulfed in that world.”
Hart also explained that he had learned a lot about vegan sources of protein. “Once I found out there was protein … in other foods and other resources, then I started to learn more about the plant-based food space,” Hart said. “Since going plant-based and jumping into that space and choosing that, I’ve seen a significant change in being more vibrant and more up and at it.”
So is Kevin Hart vegan? In short, no. Being vegan is a lifestyle that extends beyond dietary choices. Vegans generally seek to eliminate all contributing to animal suffering (wherever possible) and avoid using animal products of all kinds, including leather and wool.
Hart has said publicly that he doesn’t follow an entirely animal-free diet, but it is thought that he eats mostly plant-based food. And, of course, he wants others to do so too by frequenting Hart House.
A few months prior to launching Hart House, Hart teamed up with Beyond Meat for a TV advert promoting its plant-based burgers.
The commercial was written and produced by Hartbeat Productions, which Hart owns. The purpose of the ad was to encourage people to choose Beyond Meat over beef for the good of the planet.
“Traditions keep us connected to our past, but we have to make decisions for our future,” Hart said in the video. “We’ve gotta go beyond tradition, make changes that are better for the planet.” He added that eating plant-based is “actually fighting climate change.”
His decision to launch a vegan restaurant was, in part, a response to the skyrocketing popularity of plant-based eating. Such a diet is particularly popular in LA, where Hart House is based.
“This idea was right in front of me,” he previously told Forbes. “We explored how many people are trying this. It makes sense; you can’t ignore numbers.”
Los Angeles has long catered for plant-based eaters, and the city has a thriving market for meat-free food. It was previously named the second most vegan city in the US (after Portland, Oregon), and it’s thought to have over 200 entirely vegan restaurants.
Hart announced plans to open the first Hart House restaurant in June 2022. He said he did so to create a “good experience that combines the joy of coming together over food, with the power of purpose.”
He later confirmed that the “first few” locations will be in the LA area, but that the chain is “expanding quickly.” In May 2023, he announced the opening of the first drive-thru restaurant. It’s located at one of the busiest fast food intersections in Hollywood, and stands where a McDonald’s restaurant once was.
“Since the inception of Hart House, it’s always been about creating a new option within fast food which is why I’m so excited to bring Hart House to Hollywood,” he said in a statement at the time. “At Hart House, we are in the business of making people feel good and I’m so proud of how fast we are growing and can’t wait ’til there are Hart House restaurants all across the nation!”
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