Pinky Cole Reclaims Slutty Vegan Following Business Restructure and Near-Fatal Accident
Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole Hayes is entering a new chapter after facing one of the most challenging years of her life.
In a new interview with PEOPLE, the 37-year-old entrepreneur revealed that she was involved in a life-threatening car accident while driving on a highway in Atlanta. A mattress flew into her windshield while she was going 70 mph.
“It was like Final Destination,” she said. “I'm not the person to get in accidents, and I wasn't on the phone. I wasn't texting.” The accident led to a hospital visit, which ultimately forced Cole to pause, both physically and mentally.
“In life, we always worry about the things that really don't matter until your life is on the line,” she explained. With three young kids and a string of ambitious ventures under her belt, the Slutty Vegan founder was reminded that rest is just as vital as hustle. “So [God] threw a d--- bed on me,” she joked.
However, that freak accident wasn’t the only wake-up call. After a rocky 2024 and financial challenges that left her overwhelmed by a $10 million corporate overhead, Pinky made the difficult decision to restructure her company and relinquish ownership on February 13, 2025.
“I fought it for a long time,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to face the opinions of others… I could have easily gone to social media and did a rally cry for help, but I didn't want to be a victim.”
Despite the company's popularity and long lines, Cole called the situation “too far gone,” saying, “The best thing that you could do is let it die so that you can rebirth it.”
On March 28, 2025, Cole bought back her company under a new business name: Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC. She said she now recognizes her value as the face of the brand. “People love Slutty Vegan because they love me,” she said.
Slutty Vegan currently has eight locations: five in Georgia, and one each in Alabama, Maryland, and New York. Locations in Texas and two others in New York were closed prior to the restructuring, as well as campus partnerships with Georgia Tech and Spelman University.
Cole is now focused on what she calls “Slutty Vegan 2.0,” which will feature a refreshed business model and new leadership. “Global expansion is big for 2.0,” she said, citing interest in Dubai and Africa.
