Pinky Cole, founder of popular vegan burger chain Slutty Vegan, is officially bringing her viral burgers to the Village, with the new location’s grand opening slated for Saturday.
The entrepreneur says the new storefront will be strategically placed at 280 Bleecker Street, near 7th Avenue South. Though this isn’t her first location in NYC, Cole says this particular location has a greater meaning to her.
“It’s happening very fast. I’m very excited about it. To be in Manhattan, it’s a big deal. There’s a lot of foot traffic there, “Cole told the Daily News. “And I’m excited to make a lot of money right there. And I’m also excited to just bring Slutty Vegan in the mix.”
Cole continued, “The theme of that location is really an ode to the LGBTQ community. So we are really talking about the movement in this store. And I’m intentional about the aesthetic here.”
The Bleecker store is Cole’s 12th Slutty Vegan location, with one in Brooklyn‘s Fort Greene and another in Harlem. Cole says she attributes the rapid growth of her company to the full “experience” Slutty Vegan consistently brings consumers, regardless of whether they are vegan.
“I know how to give people a good experience. And I know how to make people have a good time. If I can make people have a good time, right? You could sell them anything. And I’m conscious about that,” she tells the News.
“I’m meeting you where you are so that you can go to another restaurant say, ‘You know what, Slutty Vegan was good. And I’m not vegan, maybe I can go to another restaurant and have some vegan food.’ And that’s literally been the formula since 2018.”
The business owner opened her first store in Atlanta in 2018 and the burgers became a social media sensation when celebrities such as Tyler Perry, Snoop Dog and Viola Davis posted videos gushing about the flavor and texture of Slutty Vegan burgers.
Now with all her success, Cole would like to pursue her original dream.
“It’s funny because my original dream was I wanted to be an actress. Yeah, so a lot of people don’t know that. And I became SAG early on. So all the casting directors holla at me, come, come call me. But I’m gonna start taking acting classes.”
“So I’m doing all the things that people say that you can do. Like, you can be a boss in every single industry. As long as you transfer the skill set and apply yourself. Everything is possible.”
