Slutty Vegan Restaurateur Pinky Cole SUED For $87K Over Unpaid Rent!
Pinky Cole just started filming on The Real Housewives of Atlanta — but the vegan queen is already serving up scandal.
According to a new lawsuit filed in Fulton County state court, the Slutty Vegan mogul and her company allegedly owe a whopping $87,312.65 in unpaid rent, late fees, and interest for two of her Edgewood Avenue restaurants: Slutty Vegan and The Morning After.
Attorneys for landlord Asana Partners LLC claim Pinky hasn’t paid nearly $40,000 in rent, and that amount has ballooned thanks to 5% late fees and 7% interest. “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,” the filing reads.
And if that wasn’t enough, they want more cash — saying rent is still accruing at $13,665.34 per month.
Pinky Cole’s food empire has faced serious turbulence this year, forcing the Slutty Vegan founder to admit her brand nearly collapsed under a crushing $10 million corporate overhead. In February, she temporarily handed over ownership during a major restructuring, later confessing to PEOPLE, “I was chasing something that I couldn’t catch for so many reasons.” She called it “a situation where something is just too far gone” and admitted she learned the hard way, “You can never take your hands off the wheel.” At its peak she ran 14 locations — today, only 5 are still open.
By March 28, Pinky made a bold comeback, buying back her company under the cheekily named “Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC.” Still, the fallout was rough: several Slutty Vegan locations closed, and a highly anticipated airport location was scrapped in favor of Buffalo Wild Wings and Wu Tang Asian Kitchen. Despite setbacks, Pinky has rebranded this next chapter as “Slutty Vegan 2.0” — same flavor but a sharper strategy.
“People love Slutty Vegan because they love me,” she said, acknowledging her influence and fan loyalty. With five restaurants still standing and plans to expand globally to places like Dubai and Africa, Pinky insists the struggles only made her stronger.
As she put it, “There’s going to be some speed bumps in the road… but that is not reason enough to give up.” She also recently launched a new restaurant called Voagies, which serves vegan twists on classic hoagies. Outside of the headlines, Pinky also has her hands full at home. She and her husband, Derrick Hayes, the owner of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, are raising their three young children together — D’Ella, Derrick Jr., and David.
Pinky has also stepped into the role of proud stepmom to Hayes’s daughters from a previous relationship, Dallas and Denver, making their blended family just as much a part of her empire as the restaurants she’s fighting to rebuild.
Stay Connected With All About The Tea: Twitter Ι Instagram Ι YouTube Ι Facebook Ι Send Us Tips
Nancy Zhāng is an Entertainment Blogger for All About The Tea. Nancy covers hot topics, recaps and celeb news. She loves to multi-task as a writer and a private chef. She received a B.S. in Mass Communications from LSU. Nancy’s married and the proud mom of 2 German Shepherds.