Pinky Cole’s rise is what happens when viral dreams meet the adversarial lessons of capitalism—Black excellence is celebrated and then questioned in the same breath.
Slutty Vegan—the Atlanta-based, plant-based burger chain known for its NSFW branding and hour-long lines—was once a viral darling. It had celebrity endorsements, Instagram cult status and a founder who built it all from a ghost kitchen in 2018.
But in early 2025, the wheels came off.
Cole, a marketing aficionado turned food mogul, revealed she had to temporarily give up ownership of her own company after corporate overhead ballooned to nearly $10 million.
“I was chasing something I couldn’t catch,” she told PEOPLE.
At the same time, Cole survived a freak highway accident in Atlanta. A mattress flew into her windshield while she was driving 70 mph. The incident was life-changing.
“It was like Final Destination,” she shared. “I’m not the person to get in accidents, and I wasn’t on the phone. I wasn’t texting.”
The revered founder was forced to take time away from her treasured business and focus on healing.
On February 13th, Cole made the gut-wrenching call to restructure Slutty Vegan, handing over control and ownership to an assignee.
“I wrestled with it, hard,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to be picked apart by the internet, by people who don’t know what it takes to build something this beloved.”
Cole could have made the journey far easier by going online, rallying the masses and playing the underdog card—but that’s not her style. “I didn’t want to be a victim,” she said—the move spurred on by her love for the brand, for the legacy and for herself.
By March, Cole had regained ownership of Slutty Vegan and restructured the business under a new LLC: Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis. The name is a direct quote from The Temptations biopic.
The relaunch—dubbed “Slutty Vegan 2.0″—is leaner, keener and more prudent.
Sadly, Slutty Vegan locations in New York and Texas were shuttered. The focus is now on sustainable growth and international expansion (yes, Dubai and Africa are both in the pipeline).
Cole is now hyper-focused on building a model that actually works for her and the community and in true modern mogul fashion, alongside her long-time husband Derrick Hayes (of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks) she is now working on a hospitality group aimed at building an empire that merges culture, food and the people.
Cole’s outlook for the future is glaringly bright.
“Between me and my husband and his projects and my projects — I just love to connect people and community. And if I can do that by way of food, it’s a win-win for everybody,” she added.
“I just want to sit back and watch all of the great brands that I build and create, be successful.”
