August 9, 2024
The two women who ran the Slutty Vegan social media and food truck tours are now the first licensees and owners of a Jonesboro location.
In celebration of Slutty Vegan’s 6th Anniversary, Founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes presented the two women who have been running her logistics and operations since the beginning as the first licensees of the restaurant, gifting them their own location in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Cole Hayes says Angel Barnwell and Miesha Hambrick helped build Slutty Vegan, the signature vegan burger joint established in 2018 in her two-bedroom apartment to offer healthier options to her Atlanta community. “Angel and Miesha put blood, sweat, and tears in my business,” Cole Hayes wrote in an Aug. 6 announcement on Instagram. “I am no longer the only entrepreneur at the table.” The new licensees strolled through the latest location, which features a spacious porch area where customers will enter. Inside is a ceiling covered in the signature Slutty Vegan graphics and yellow flooring throughout. It appears from the Instagram video customers at Barnwell and Hambrick’s location will be able to shop Slutty Vegan merchandise on the side as they await their orders.
A post shared by Pinky Cole Hayes (@pinkycole)
Barnwell, who is currently the assistant vice president for Slutty Vegan, started with the company on Oct. 3, 2018, as the social media intern. She worked her way up to a role as social media manager, which included handling customer service. “I spoke to every customer that we came into contact with,” Barnwell said in a Feb. 6 Black History Month spotlight video on the company’s TikTok channel. She leveled up in the company as Cole Hayes’ personal and executive assistant before being promoted to business manager. “It has been a rollercoaster ride,” she said, adding that the vegan restaurant now boasts over 13 locations and several food trucks. Becoming one of the first licensees is a major milestone, as Barnwell has witnessed the company grow into a dynamic business and household name over the years.
Hambrick is the operations manager for Slutty Vegan, and right when she wakes up, she’s checking emails, phone calls, and text messages. According to her LinkedIn, she started with the company in November 2018, the month after Cole Hayes opened the first restaurant location. In 2023, she appeared alongside the Slutty Vegan team as they graced BLACK ENTERPRISE’s digital cover during Black History Month. In 2021, she introduced herself as Slutty Vegan’s tour director. “I am responsible for Slutty Vegan being on the road,” she said at the time. Her role has included testing out the market in different areas, ensuring the locations’ functionalities are good, and overseeing the overall operational flow.
Cole Hayes is grateful to the two women for their sacrifices to her and her company, and the Jonesboro location is another step toward making their career dreams come to fruition.
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