In an interview with UATL, Slutty Vegan founder Aisha “Pinky” Cole said she has returned to the plant-based burger chain, after briefly losing then reacquiring the company through restructuring earlier this year.
Cole, who founded Slutty Vegan in 2018 as a food truck, grew the brand into a popular chain with 14 locations throughout metro Atlanta, Texas, New York and Maryland. She has authored books, was recognized as a rising leader in 2023 by Time magazine and gained fame as an entrepreneurial maven in the restaurant business along the way.
However, several locations have recently shuttered, including the Athens and Spelman College outposts. Former employees claimed they had not been paid in legal cases that have since been settled. Slutty Vegan announced in November that it was seeking a new president. Cole said the business needed a change and a shift in its structure.
Credit: Courtesy of Slutty Vegan
Credit: Courtesy of Slutty Vegan
“It’s never been an issue of the revenue. The revenue was always coming in, but my corporate overhead was just extremely high,” Cole said. “I fought it for a long time, to be honest. I just surrendered.”
Cole claimed that 2024 was one of the hardest periods of her life. She iterated her exhaustion in an interview with People, which first reported the story.
“It was mentally exhausting. It mentally drained me, and my hands were tied,” Cole told UATL. “It was only so much I could do.”
She said the period allowed her to step away from the social scene and spend time with her family. She logged off from social media, took vacations and answered less phone calls.
“I went completely dark during that time,” she said. “I really just started focusing on me. That was the first time in seven years that I did more thinking and less moving.”
On March 28, Cole said she regained Slutty Vegan under her new company Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC, a name inspired from the 1998 “The Temptations” miniseries. Cole said the name of the LLC is a reminder that people love her restaurant because they love her.
As part of the changes, Cole said Slutty Vegan will have new uniforms and menu items, there is interest in pursuing international deals and she has hired headhunters to acquire new talent. In total, she claimed there will be more than 60 years of combined leadership working in the renewed restaurant.
Cole said she is also curious about brand partnerships, cosmetics and clothing affiliated with the company. She’s looking forward to global expansion, but plans to keep the restaurant based in Atlanta.
“Slutty Vegan 2.0 is bigger than just food,” she stated.
Credit: Courtesy of Slutty Vegan Works
Credit: Courtesy of Slutty Vegan Works
“I’ve got to make sure (people) always have veganism at the top of mind, which is why Slutty Vegan is more than a restaurant,” Cole said. “It’s a lifestyle brand, and I want people to see that and know that.”
Also in March, Cole said she was in a car accident in Atlanta, in which she said a king-size mattress fell off a truck ahead of her and hit her car.
Her husband, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks founder and CEO Derrick Hayes, shared an image of a Bentley with a smashed windshield.
“If I wasn’t in the car that I was in, I probably would’ve lost my life,” she said. “Listen, sometimes God will throw the thing right in front of your face at you to send a message.”
On April 2, a former Slutty Vegan employee in New York filed a lawsuit against the restaurant for alleged sexual and gender discrimination. A representative for Cole said the team could not discuss the legal case because it fell under Slutty Vegan before it was owned by the new LLC.
Cole expressed optimism toward the future for Slutty Vegan, and said she expects continued business growth for herself and Hayes.
“I’m excited to build that empire. Not just Slutty Vegan, but other concepts as well,” Cole told UATL. “I have so many great ideas.”
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