Pinky Cole Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged $87K In Unpaid Rent At Two Slutty Vegan Atlanta Locations

Pinky Cole is once again facing a lawsuit over alleged unpaid rent, this time involving two Slutty Vegan locations in Atlanta.

Slutty Vegan founder, Pinky Cole Hayes, is facing a new lawsuit over claims of unpaid rent at two of her Atlanta restaurant locations.

An affiliate of Asana Partners, the real estate firm behind popular Atlanta hubs like Krog Street Market and Plaza Fiesta, has filed a complaint in Fulton County State Court accusing Cole and her current and former businesses of breaching leases on two Edgewood Avenue properties, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. According to the suit, Cole and the entities owe more than $87,000 in back rent, late fees, and interest.

The lawsuit follows Cole’s February 2025 financial restructuring, when she revealed that she briefly gave up ownership of her business to an assignee due to a $10 million corporate overhead and cash flow issues before repurchasing it under a new entity, Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC. Since then, her businesses have faced lawsuits in Maryland and New York over alleged unpaid rent and credit card charges tied to the period before the restructuring.

As news of the latest lawsuit made its way to social media, reactions are mixed, with some offering Cole prayers and encouragement. In contrast, others argue her business troubles stem from the rapid expansion of the Slutty Vegan franchise.

“Praying that she’s able to clear this all up in Jesus’ name, amen! Let’s pray for ppl to win,” one supporter wrote before the critics chimed in.

“Expanding without the proper knowledge base of sustainability is clearly what occurred here,” one critic wrote.

“Case of growing and franchising too big too soon! Something I shared with the owner in the beginning and was shunned!” claimed someone else.

Some questioned how Cole, who recently spoke at Invest Fest in Atlanta, can offer guidance to other business owners while facing ongoing challenges with Slutty Vegan.

“But she was at a workshop this past weekend telling folks how to manage business,” they wrote.

Cole has been candid about the challenges at Slutty Vegan. In March, she shared how the restructuring stemmed from “chasing something that I couldn’t catch for many reasons,” with the business growing too large and costly to manage. The shake-up also led to the cancellation of a planned Concourse B location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the closure of the on-campus Spelman College spot, replaced by Twisted Taco.

Despite these hurdles, Slutty Vegan continues to operate eight locations nationwide, five in Georgia, and one each in Alabama, Maryland, and New York.