Slutty Vegan founderPinky Coleis facing a whopping $87K lawsuit over claims of unpaid rent for two of her Atlanta-based store locations, but the health-conscious CEO doesn’t seem fazed.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV, a landlord affiliated with Asana Partners LLCfiled suitlast week in Fulton County State Court, claiming Cole owed over $87,000 in unpaid rent, late fees, and interest for two of her businesses situated on Edgewood Avenue—Slutty Vegan and The Morning After.
The lawsuit alleges nearly $40,000 in unpaid base rent, with 5% late fees and 7% interest driving the total higher, Fox 5 Atlantanoted.
“As a result of Tenant’s breach of the Leases for failure to pay rent and other monetary charges due, Landlord has suffered damages in an amount to be proven at trial, but in no event less than the total sum $87,312.65, exclusive of late fees and interest, plus additional rent and other charges that accrue under the Leases at the rate of $13,665.34 per month, subject to regularly scheduled adjustments reflected in the Leases,” the lawsuit from Asana Partners LLC stated.
While Cole hasn’t issued a formal statement about the lawsuit, Slutty Vegan’s Instagram page appeared to poke fun at the situation.
On Aug. 27, the company posted a carousel of humorous text messages that captured someone writing:
“Big head… Come buy a burger so we can pay this rent.”
In one of the photos, the person on the receiving end replied:
“Lol hey, it don’t get no more real than that. I like that and for that, I’ma get by there and buy something today — gotta keep them doors open and them lights on!”
As for Pinky herself, she shook off the lawsuit reports on Instagram with a video that read;
“When blogs aks me about a lawsuit that has nothing to do with me.”
“The post was captioned; “In other news it’s 126 days left in the year.. what yall working on? I’m running 4-5 miles a day getting my mind right. TAP IN!!”
This isn’t the first time Pinky Cole’s businesses have faced challenges.
Slutty Vegan, which gained national attention after launching as a food truck in 2019, has significantly downsizedin recent months. Once operating 14 locations across four states, the brand now runs just five, according to its website. Several locations of Bar Vegan — another venture co-founded by Cole — also closed earlier this year.
Legal troubles have followed. In April, three employees at Slutty Vegan’s new Fort Greene location in Brooklyn filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging the company denied them bonuses and overtime pay, costing them thousands, according to Patch, which firstreported the suit.
Earlier, in January, Eaterreported that former employees of Bar Vegan in Atlanta sued Cole over unpaid wages. She denied involvement in a now-deleted Instagram post, saying she wasn’t involved in the day-to-day operations and was unaware of the situation.
“We are aware of the lawsuit recently filed in the U.S. District Court in New York, and are reviewing it with our legal counsel,” a spokesperson for Slutty Vegan told The Eater at the time. “Slutty Vegan does not comment on any pending litigation, except that it is committed to complying with all applicable laws.”
As previously reported, the companyunderwent a global restructuringon Feb. 13, during which Cole lost full ownership of Slutty Vegan due to high overhead costs. However, she successfully bought back the business in March for an undisclosed amount.
As for Cole, she’s rumored to be one of the newest Real Housewives of Atlanta. The mogul was recently spotted filming at Kelli Ferrell’s recent restaurant opening.
We’re praying Pinky Cole can bounce back from this.
