The sizzle of vegan burgers seems to have fizzled out. Neat Burger, the celeb-backed venture launched in 2019, is closing its British stores, potentially leaving 150 jobs off the menu.
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The plant-based restaurant chain once operated eight locations across London. However, after closing its Soho branch earlier this April, the company is now set to shut down its final remaining London restaurant in Camden at the end of the month.
A Neat Burger representative explained the sudden decision in an interview with The Sun.
“We have no further comment at this time, other than to confirm that the business has taken the difficult decision to close its UK restaurants,” they told the outlet.
This decision follows the restaurant’s closure of its New York location less than a year ago, marking its complete exit from the U.S. restaurant market.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Sir Lewis Hamilton Founded the Burger Chain
Neat Burger hasn’t always had a smooth ride, but what else would you expect from a brand co-founded by racing legend Sir Lewis Hamilton? Launched in 2019 with a little Hollywood sparkle from Leonardo DiCaprio, its mission was simple: take on the meat-packed menus of McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC with a healthier, plant-based pit stop.
“I think it will be a game-changer,” Hamilton, who adopted a plant-based diet several years earlier, shared in 2019, per ESPN. “I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it.”
Despite the restaurant’s commendable ambitions, Neat Burger encountered numerous challenges by the early 2020s. Ultimately, the company made the difficult decision to close its New York location in 2023 following substantial financial losses.
“We are concentrating our efforts on our best-performing restaurants — we believe that sometimes taking a step back is necessary to make a bigger leap forward,” the company explained back then, per The Sun.
Neat Burger has bid farewell to the U.K., but if you’re craving one last bite, you’ll have to head to Milan—it’s now the former chain’s sole survivor.