Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Hayes Hit With New Lawsuit Over Unpaid Rent

Pinky Cole Hayes, the founder of the popular Slutty Vegan restaurant chain, is facing another legal challenge after a real estate firm alleged she owes back rent on two of her Atlanta locations.

An affiliate of Asana Partners, the real estate group behind Krog Street Market and Plaza Fiesta, filed a complaint in Fulton County State Court accusing Cole and her businesses of breaching lease agreements on two Edgewood Avenue properties.

The suit claims more than $87,000 is owed in unpaid rent, late fees, and interest, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The case comes months after Cole announced a financial restructuring in February 2025, during which she temporarily gave up ownership of Slutty Vegan to an assignee to resolve $10 million in overhead and cash flow pressures.

She later repurchased the company under a new entity, Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC. Since then, her businesses have been named in separate lawsuits in Maryland and New York, including claims tied to unpaid rent and credit card debts predating the restructuring.

News of the latest lawsuit has sparked divided reactions online. Supporters expressed encouragement, urging prayer and resilience, while critics pointed to the risks of Slutty Vegan’s rapid expansion.

“Expanding without the proper knowledge base of sustainability is clearly what occurred here,” one commenter wrote. Another suggested the franchise grew “too big too soon.”

Some also questioned Cole’s credibility as a business mentor, noting her recent appearance at Invest Fest in Atlanta. “But she was at a workshop this past weekend telling folks how to manage business,” one critic said.

Cole has been open about the challenges. In March, she described the restructuring as the result of “chasing something that I couldn’t catch for many reasons,” acknowledging that costs ballooned as the business scaled.

The shift led to the closure of Slutty Vegan’s Spelman College campus location—since replaced by Twisted Taco—and the cancellation of a planned Concourse B restaurant at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Despite setbacks, Slutty Vegan continues to operate eight restaurants nationwide: five in Georgia and one each in Alabama, Maryland, and New York.