The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pinky Cole to plant her next Bar Vegan in Baltimore
Atlanta-based restaurateur begins big expansion push in her hometown.
Pinky Cole is expanding her business empire.
The Atlanta-based restaurateur behind the Slutty Vegan chain will be opening a Bar Vegan in Baltimore this fall, the first location of the restaurant outside of Atlanta and part of her first foray into her Maryland hometown.
“Bar Vegan was just supposed to be a concept to see if a bar would work,” Cole told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Not only did it work, it became a staple in Atlanta. So now I’m like, ‘OK, not only can I expand Slutty Vegan, I can also expand Bar Vegan and it still be successful.’”
The 5,600-square-foot location will open alongside a Slutty Vegan location in October or November at the Baltimore Peninsula, a 235-acre mixeduse development spearheaded by Under Armour founder Kevin Plank. Cole grew up about 15 minutes away from the site and has joined on as a partner, though she did not disclose details of the deal. She said she has a “vested interest” and is a project ambassador.
“It definitely feels like a full circle moment,” she said. “Who would have thought that the little girl from East Baltimore would come back to create opportunities for hundreds of Baltimoreans?”
The design of the Bar Vegan will be the same as the flagship location in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, but the food options will be different. Cole is currently interviewing executive chefs to help develop the menu but said they will have to have some Maryland crab cake-inspired vegan dishes.
Cole’s current business portfolio includes 12 Slutty Vegan locations across Georgia, New York, Alabama and Texas, a cookbook and Slutty Vegan products on metro Atlanta Target shelves. In 2022, Cole raised a $25 million Series A funding round for Slutty Vegan that valued her business at $100 million, according to Forbes.
She is taking lessons from expanding Slutty Vegan to use in her expansion of Bar Vegan.
“It’s hard to scale a company and if you are not consistent, people will not come. That’s just the truth,” she said.
Cole said she has also learned the right leadership team is vital to weather changes in the economy.
The Atlanta Bar Vegan location has been the target of a lawsuit that is still pending.
In late 2022, former Bar Vegan employee Morgan Georgia sued Cole and two of her business partners in federal court in Atlanta, accusing them of withholding tips and failing to meet federal minimum wage requirements. Cole has denied the allegations in case filings.
In November, the judge in the case allowed other Bar Vegan servers, waiters or bartenders who received tips to join the class action. Cole said the case is nearing an end and she will be happy to put it behind her.
A lawyer for the plaintiff did not respond to a request for comment on the status of the case.
Last August, Slutty Vegan settled a separate lawsuit over unpaid wages filed by former employees of its Brooklyn location.
As Cole expands Bar Vegan, she is thinking about the future of her multimillion-dollar business. She wants to fully own the vegan dining sector, but down the road she is not sure whether she’ll eventually sell the business or take it public.
“Where I’m at right now is I’m focused on the operation,” Cole said. “I’m just basically reigniting it and making it better all over again. So maybe in about two years, I’ll be able to really have like a concrete plan on if I want to sell, if I want to go public, but just nonetheless know that my vision is making sure that this business becomes a billion-dollar brand.”
‘Bar Vegan was just supposed to be a concept to see if a bar would work. Not only did it work, it became a staple in Atlanta. So now I’m like, “OK, not only can I expand Slutty Vegan, I can also expand Bar Vegan and it still be successful.” ’ Pinky Cole Slutty Vegan CEO and founder