*Aisha “Pinky” Cole Hayes, the entrepreneur behind the Slutty Vegan restaurant franchise, is facing a serious financial crisis. The Atlanta Business Chronicle first broke the news that Cole Hayes has filed for bankruptcy protection, disclosing $1.4 million in total debt.
The bulk of what she owes — $1.2 million — is tied to the U.S. Small Business Administration, with an additional sum of nearly $200,000 outstanding to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Her path to the current filing was not straightforward. Cole Hayes pursued Chapter 13 protection in January, withdrew that filing, and then moved forward with a Chapter 11 filing on February 12, arriving at that decision within a year of winning back ownership of Slutty Vegan after the business had previously slipped from her hands due to financial strain.
Cole Hayes spoke candidly about the ordeal in a video shared on Instagram. “The last couple of months, it’s probably been the most incredibly difficult of my entrepreneurial life,” she said. “As of Feb. 13, the company went through a global restructuring. And as a result of that, that meant that I no longer own the company… I have gone through every emotion imaginable — Grief, sadness, fear, depression, uncertainty.”
She continued, “What a lot of us entrepreneurs go through, I have gone through. But I realized that as long as I continue to stick to my faith, God will always be by my side. And as hard as change is, it is necessary, but it’s always for the good.”
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What began as a food truck operation in 2018 grew rapidly into a recognizable brand with multiple storefronts across Atlanta and other markets. The road since has been rocky, with a number of those locations closing and a pair of Atlanta-based landlords pursuing legal action to recover $87,000 in unpaid rent.
Before the brand underwent restructuring in 2025, Cole Hayes was carrying $20 million in debt, partly attributed to operational costs that spiraled during her absence from the company.
The developments come as Cole Hayes prepares for a new public chapter, having recently been announced as a cast member on “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Plans Comeback and Expansion After Losing Multi-Million-Dollar Business
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