Slutty Vegan is a vegan hamburger restaurant chain, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Slutty Vegan
FoundedAugust 2018; 6 years ago (2018-08) in Atlanta, Georgia
FounderPinky Cole
Headquarters
Websitesluttyveganatl.com

History

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Pinky Cole, a former television producer, founded the restaurant in August 2018.[1][2] She intended for it to be a ghost kitchen, where customers would order food online and use a delivery service to get it.[3] Cole started the restaurant because she found that there was no place available to eat vegan food after 9 p.m.[4] She decided to use sex as a theme for her restaurant because of its ability to attract non-vegan customers.[5][4][6] Social media[7] and word-of-mouth[3] were used heavily to promote the restaurant.

It originally started in a shared kitchen, before moving to a food truck several weeks later,[1][6] and later moved to a brick-and-mortar location in Westview on January 13, 2019.[1][2] Two locations were opened in the Atlanta area in 2020.[1] The restaurant is known for its growth despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[1][8] The chain has collaborated with Shake Shack to release plant-based burgers that were available for only one day.[5]

As of January 2023 there is a pending lawsuit over lost wages from an ex-employee.[9]

In 2023, the restaurant had 11 locations in Georgia, New York City, Birmingham, Ala., and Dallas, with plans to open more, including locations in Baltimore.[10]

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The Slutty Vegan menu lists burgers, hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches.Menu items have suggestive names like Fussy Hussy and One Night Stand. Parade magazine has published the recipe for the Chik’N Head sandwich.[11]

Locations

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Slutty Vegan food truck in Durham, North Carolina in 2020

As of April 2023, the chain has five locations in the Metro Atlanta area and a plant-based bar, Bar Vegan.[4] Cole also recently opened restaurants in Athens and Columbus, Georgia,[12] Birmingham, Alabama,[2] and Brooklyn and Harlem in New York City.[4] There are also plans to open a new location once every month in 2023, in a different city.[2] During the fall 2023 semester, a location is scheduled to open on the Spelman College campus.[13]

The chain has a mobile food truck, which hosts pop-ups at various locations in the South.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Ogunsola, Jennifer (2022-01-18). "Pinky Cole And Derrick Hayes Are Hot In The Kitchen On ESSENCE Jan/Feb Cover". Essence. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nwogu, Laura (2022-01-18). "Atlanta-based restaurant Slutty Vegan is headed to Savannah. Could a permanent home follow?". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  3. ^ a b Respers France, Lisa (2019-08-06). "Slutty Vegan restaurant a plant-based burger sensation". CNN. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  4. ^ a b c d Danziger, Lucy (2022-01-04). "Pinky Cole Is Helping Non-Vegans Love Vegan Food. What's Next?". The Beet. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  5. ^ a b Petre, Holly (2021-09-21). "Slutty Vegan: Changing the world with vegan comfort food". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  6. ^ a b Severson, Kim (2019-07-01). "A Naughty Name, a Virtuous Menu and a Line Down the Block". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  7. ^ Shigley, Debra (2019-03-14). "How Pinky Cole used Instagram to make Slutty Vegan's burgers a viral hit IRL". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  8. ^ Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (2020-12-17). "How Slutty Vegan is growing during the pandemic". CNN Business. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  9. ^ "Slutty Vegan CEO Pinky Cole got engaged in Atlanta's cutest local celebrity moment".
  10. ^ Gorce, Tammy La (2023-06-14). "A Vegan Restaurateur and a Meat Connoisseur Find 'No Ordinary Love'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  11. ^ "Slutty Vegan's Pinky Cole Shares How to Make Her Viral 'Chik'N Head' Sandwich at Home". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  12. ^ Johnson, CJ (2023-04-05). "Slutty Vegan Opens Inside Truist Park, Home Of The Atlanta Braves". AtlantaFi. AtlantaFi. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  13. ^ "Pinky Cole Celebrates Slutty Vegan's Fifth Anniversary With The Announcement Of Her 13th Location Coming To An HBCU". Yahoo Finance. 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-15.