‘I Hope You Fail’ says Slutty Vegan Restaurant Entrepreneur Pinky Cole

As owner of the vegan restaurant chain Slutty Vegan — and a former television producer — Pinky Cole knows the value of getting attention when you want to grow a business.

Her authenticity and genuine connection with her audiences through media and in-person have also been instrumental to Slutty Vegan's success. She believes that people aren't just buying her meatless masterpieces — they're buying into her story, her personality, and her mission.

"People can feel the genuineness. And as a result of that level of being genuine that has given me a lot of success in my career," Pinky Cole said.

From Maury Show producer to founder of one of the most buzzed about new restaurant chains around, she has paved her own path and triumphed through adversity.

“One thing I know how to do is I know how to merge people. I know how to connect people. I know how to meet people where they are," she reflected during a conversation with Shawn Walchef, host of the Restaurant Influencers series.

Watch now to learn about leaning into failure, going from TV producer to the restaurant business, and the value of good PR

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

• Toast AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Episode Links:

Pinky Cole Online

Slutty Vegan Online

Bar Vegan Online

Pinky Cole Foundation

I Hope You Fail book

Takeaways:

Power of PR - Pinky Cole said a lot of her success growing Slutty Vegan has been her willingness to lean into telling her story through media and PR. Investing in public relations has led to lots of important media coverage.

Birth of Slutty Vegan - The idea for Slutty Vegan came about at a time of change for Pinky Cole. The ‘slutty’ concept seemed like just the way to get valuable attention, and it worked wonders.

I Hope You Fail - Pinky Cole wrote her 2023 book “I Hope You Fail” as a guide to help others lean into the things that are holding them back from success. Leaning into Hater Statements like that is a way to empower yourself in the face of any hurdles.

***

ABOUT PINKY COLE —

Pinky Cole is a serial entrepreneur, brand strategist, and founder of Slutty Vegan and Bar Vegan. The chain offers creative takes in plant-based burgers with racy names like Sloppy Toppy, Fussy Hussy, and One Night Stand. She also founded The Pinky Cole Foundation. Born and raised in East Baltimore, Cole started her entrepreneurial journey early through creating business plans and side-hustles with friends and family members during high school. She moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University and later went on to become a successful television producer in New York City and Connecticut.

She eventually made her first foray into the culinary world with her popular restaurant Pinky’s Jamaican and American Restaurant in New York, which burned down. Soon after, Pinky relocated to Atlanta where she came up with the idea for Slutty Vegan during a late-night craving for mouthwatering vegan fast food. From there, she started cooking vegan burgers in a shared kitchen in August 2018, and the Slutty Vegan empire was born.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media

Produced by Cali BBQ Media