*We spoke to Slutty Vegan CEO and Founder Pinky Cole Hayes about her remarkable journey from starting as a food truck to building a $100 million plant-based empire.
With Slutty Vegan making its highly anticipated debut in Las Vegas as part of the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency program at Mandalay Bay and Luxor, Pinky is celebrating what this milestone means for her brand as well as her mission to uplift other Black restaurateurs.
Per the news release, Pepsi Dig In aims to drive access, business growth, and awareness for underserved restaurants. The platform is bringing six new dishes with four new crafted cocktails to Las Vegas for its third annual Restaurant Royalty Residency. Starting September 21, MGM Resorts International’s Fan Districts at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and Luxor Hotel and Casino will be the only place to experience the limited-edition menu items, showcasing concepts from some of the best restaurants from across the country. This year’s residency kicks off with Slutty Vegan’s cult-favorite plant-based Fussy Hussy burger, founder Pinky Cole Hayes’s signature dish.
“Las Vegas is a culinary destination where people go to taste the best of the best. It’s an honor to be joining Pepsi Dig In alongside an incredible line-up of talented restaurateurs, and be bringing Slutty Vegan’s iconic burger to Las Vegas for the first time exclusively to MGM Resorts International. The real winners here are the foodies who have so many delicious reasons to keep coming back!” said Pinky in a statement.
This year’s Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency at Mandalay Bay’s Libertine Social and Luxor’s Public House will run from September 21 through February 7. Slutty Vegan joins Q1227, Sienna Wings, Taco Mell, NYAM, and Vyonne’s in offering an exclusive limited-edition menu during the event.
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Slutty Vegan started as a food truck and has grown into a $100 million brand. How does the Vegas residency align with your vision for the company’s continued expansion?
PINKY: I want people to see this brand. I want them to see that there are no limits. You know how people say, the sky is the limit? Well, no, it’s not. I want people to understand that you can do whatever it is that you want to do with your brand and you don’t have to limit yourself. You don’t have to put yourself inside a box just because it’s a vegan brand. It can sit anywhere it wants to. I’m just showing how I can be a disruptor in everything that I do. To go from a ghost concept to a food truck to a restaurant, now having a residency in Vegas is game-changing. I want people who watch me and my growth to know anything is possible and you should never put limitations on yourself. I didn’t and look where we are. Even for the other people that are connected with the Pepsi Dig In residency, some so many other entrepreneurs have restaurants like Taco Mel and Sienna Wings… there’s so many great people who get an opportunity to do this and just be a beacon of hope for entrepreneurs that are trying to walk in the same footsteps.
The Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency program aims to spotlight Black-owned restaurants. How does it feel to be part of this initiative, and what impact do you hope it will have on the restaurant industry?
When I win, we all win. It’s rare that you’re going to find a Black woman entrepreneur who has scaled massively in her brand. So you may just see me, but there’s so many people that come behind me There’s mothers, there’s sisters, there’s daughters, there are other women restauranteurs, other restauranteurs. There are Black entrepreneurs who feel like they can run through a brick wall because Pinky did it. So when they see this residency, I’m all about giving people hope.
In what ways do you hope your residency will inspire other up-and-coming chefs and restaurateurs, particularly those from underrepresented communities?
If you would have told me six years ago that Slutty Vegan would be in Vegas, I would have laughed at you. Not because I didn’t believe you, because that is such a big idea. When people see me, they see themselves. Once upon a time, the doors weren’t even open for Black entrepreneurs, let alone restauranteurs to do this kind of work, or stay open. I’m setting a foundation and a blueprint for others to step beside me and step around me and then walk behind me. That feels good to be able to do that. I pinch myself sometimes, and I’ll be totally transparent with you. I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities in my life. I’ve gotten a lot of really good things happening for me. So in this season, I am learning how to be still and be humbled and grateful by the things that are happening my way. This Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency is just one of those things.
I’m relishing and sitting in it for once because I don’t always get to do that. Not only will it be in one location, it’s going to be in two. Not only do I get to stand alongside other great restauranteurs and entrepreneurs, I get to be affiliated with one of the greatest brands in our country. That’s a big deal for me as an entrepreneur, as a Black woman, as a Black entrepreneur.
Slutty Vegan is known for creating plant-based dishes that appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike. What can fans expect during your Vegas residency?
I’m doing my world-famous Fussy Hussy. The Fussy Hussy is the plant-based patty with the lettuce, the tomatoes, the cheese, the caramel onions, our secret slutty sauce, and pickles. That’s kind of like the all-American burger. I’m excited about this sandwich because there’s something about the acidity of the pickle that merges with the fieriness and tanginess of the sauce that is like A1.
It’s one of our highest-grossing sandwiches. I wanted to put this one on display because everybody doesn’t like bacon. Everybody doesn’t like jalapenos, but this is something universal that everybody can appreciate. The flavor is just busting out the sandwich. It’s really good. We’re gonna run it for four weeks. I pray that everybody who reads this and comes into those restaurants gets the opportunity to indulge and experience what the world has been talking about for the last six years.
How do you plan to continue evolving Slutty Vegan while maintaining its core values and connection with your customers?
It’s not easy, but that’s what makes it more beautiful because it’s one thing to get there. It’s another thing to stay there. And staying there, for any entrepreneur, can always be a challenge. So what I’m learning, especially in this season, is to slow down, sit in my thoughts, and make sure I’m making the most sound decisions that are driven by data and not just by my feelings. If I could offer anything to any entrepreneurs, it would be that. But just know that the growth will continue to happen.
I’m excited about licensing. I’m excited about maybe or maybe not potentially franchising. I’m excited about expanding what veganism looks like and helping people to reimagine food by way of this very popular cult brand. I know that I have something special. I know that I have a billion-dollar brand. As a result of that, it’s going to keep igniting. It’s gonna keep elevating. As long as I keep putting my spirit on this brand, it’s gonna do everything that I speak on it. I see growth. I see multiplication. I just see legacy all around this brand. I’m proud of that. I’m excited to be in the driver’s seat for that.
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With Slutty Vegan expanding across the U.S., what’s next for the brand? Do you have any new locations, products, partnerships, or celebrity collaborations in the works?
Singer Robin Thicke is coming to one of my restaurants. So I’m excited about that. We have two new stores opening in Baltimore this year. I’m also excited about that. Just a lot of really dope brand partnerships that we’ve been working on, which I can’t speak on yet, but just know that it’s gonna get greater. I’m excited that Slutty Vegan is still at the helm of plant-based restaurants. When you talk about veganism, you can’t help but say Slutty Vegan in a conversation. So that feels good to me, but the growth is gonna continue to happen.
You’re known for uplifting other Black entrepreneurs through initiatives like this residency. How do you see yourself continuing to champion diversity and equity within the food industry?
Showing up as my most authentic self every single day, being vulnerable about business, the highs, the lows. We live in a world where on Instagram, they just tell you all the good parts. Nobody ever talks about the sleepless nights and the times that you gotta figure it out. I wanna be that person where people see me and they see true vulnerability and trust and the idea that it will get hard, but it will be worth it in the end.
What are you most excited about foodies experiencing when they hit up Slutty Vegan in Vegas?
I am excited about seeing pictures from different people from around the world trying Slutty Vegan for the first time and tagging us. That’s what I’m excited about. I can get true, honest feedback from people who probably otherwise would have never tried Slutty Vegan before. I’m excited about new faces learning about the brand and coming to our site and just the exposure. One of the key things that this Pepsi Dig In Program recognized was that black-owned businesses need more exposure. To get this level of exposure in my business and even for the other affiliate restaurants that are partnering with this, that level of exposure is worth more than money. The more people see your brand, the more money you ultimately can make. That is nothing that should be taken lightly.
For further information on Pepsi Dig In, please visit the website at PepsiDigIn.com
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