Pinky Cole had a vision when she first launched Slutty Vegan as a food truck in Atlanta, GA. That blueprint has since transformed Slutty Vegan into a lucrative restaurant worth $100 million.
Cole recently explained the difference between a 70% and 30% portfolio and how she and her team have developed a strategy that works for them.
“So, 70% of the Slutty Vegan businesses, I own the real estate,” Cole said in an “Earn Your Leisure” podcast clip shared to promote her appearance at the 2024 Invest Fest. “And the reason why I did that is because I wanted to go into inner-city communities, communities that developers aren’t so attracted to, and areas that are right in the heart of gentrification. What Slutty Vegan does is go into the neighborhood, raise up the value of that community, help other business owners, because we always have lines down the block. So, they win when we win, and we win when they win.”
Since its inception in 2018, Slutty Vegan has grown and gained popularity. In a previous interview, Cole explained her decision to opt out of traditional marketing, relying solely on word of mouth to draw in a solid customer base for the company.
“I pinch myself every day,” she told AFROTECH™ in a recent interview. “Sometimes we’re so immersed in our work that we don’t realize the blessings happening around us. I think about how Slutty Vegan opened the door for me to partner with PepsiCo on the Pepsi Dig In Campaign to support Black-owned restaurateurs. As a leader in this space, I can help provide the support they need.”
Initially, building Slutty Vegan was a passion project for Cole, who wanted to help people “reimagine food in a way they never have before.” Today, the brand continues to fulfill that mission and is helping to serve the community along its journey.
Cole said her business model has worked in the company’s favor since the beginning, and despite the restaurant’s success, she always had a plan in place to allow herself and others in the space to thrive.
“I always said if, for whatever reason, Slutty Vegan does not work out, I own the real estate, so now we raise the value of the buildings that we own, and it taps into what the overall company is worth,” she shared during the podcast.
Next up, Cole plans to continue expanding the Slutty Vegan universe beyond the food industry. Currently, the company has products like clothes and shoes, but Founder and CEO Cole wants to tap into other items, such as hair products, soon.
