Lewis Hamilton is best known for his achievements in F1, but the seven-time world champion also had an interesting business interest with one Hollywood juggernaut
Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio’s vegan fast food chain restaurant has closed all of their UK outlets. The Ferrari driver co-owned the Neat Burger, a chain which specialised in producing vegan fast food, alongside the Oscar winner, who has a net worth of around £224million.
However, the business has shut down all its UK locations after six years in operation. The closure is estimated to result in as many as 150 job losses.
The shut down takes place after the company posted significant financial losses in 2023, leading to the closure of half its London branches and its New York outlet.
At the time, a company spokesperson stated: “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.”
However, by 2025, only two UK restaurants remained open, and both have now ceased operations. A spokesperson confirmed the closure, saying: “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.”
The company’s losses had increased to £7.9million, up from £3.2m in 2021, despite its initial promise to “to create sustainable delicious dishes.”
At the time of its launch in 2019, Hamilton expressed his enthusiasm for the brand. He said: “I’m very passionate about being kinder to our world. I also really respect Neat Burger’s commitment to more ethical practices and supporting small businesses. This is something I’m also really proud to support.
“As someone who follows a plant-based diet, I believe we need a healthier high street option that tastes amazing but also offers something exciting to those who want to be meat-free every now and again.”
The vegan shift for Hamilton came in 2017, when he not just highlighted the ethical issues associated with consuming meat but also raised concerns about its environmental ramifications.
“I feel incredibly clean and healthy,” he confided to CNN at that time, discussing his plant-based journey. “There are things I see my friends eating, and I used to eat it, but now I feel sick because I have to read about it and have read some of the science.”
The F1 icon doesn’t restrict his advocacy for veganism to himself, as his dogs Roscoe and Coco share an all-vegan diet too. Hamilton’s production involvement in the 2018 documentary ‘The Game Changers’ marked another stride in promoting this lifestyle choice.
Directed by James Cameron, the film questioned the widely held belief that top-tier athletes require meat for protein, featuring eminent personalities including Hamilton himself and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The turning point for the British racer was the documentary ‘What The Health’, which laid bare the moral and ethical dilemmas plaguing the meat and dairy sectors, compelling him to embrace veganism wholeheartedly and advocate for the movement vehemently.
