Pinky Cole, founder of Slutty Vegan, joins Zack Oates to share how she built one of the most recognizable brands in the restaurant industry by leaning into boldness, authenticity, and resilience. From viral branding to navigating major setbacks, her journey highlights what it really takes to create a lasting guest experience in a competitive market.

The Power of a Name (01:30)

“There is power in a name.”

Pinky explains how the name Slutty Vegan was intentionally designed to spark curiosity and conversation. Instead of playing it safe, she leaned into something disruptive that made people stop, question, and ultimately engage with the brand.

Authenticity Over Everything (03:12)

“Something has to connect with the human being.”

As the business scaled, Pinky saw firsthand how losing authenticity can disconnect a brand from its audience. She emphasizes that even large companies must preserve a real, human experience to maintain loyalty.

Scaling Requires the Right Team (06:03)

“You can have a team all day long, but there’s a difference between having a team and the right team.”

Pinky shares that growth is less about hiring quickly and more about hiring correctly. Operational expertise, industry relationships, and hands-on experience separate the right leaders from the wrong ones.

Why P&L Knowledge Is Non-Negotiable (08:12)

“A P&L is the report card of your business.”

She highlights financial literacy as a key indicator of leadership capability. Without a strong grasp of numbers, leaders risk making decisions that negatively impact both profitability and guest experience.

Guest Experience vs Profit Decisions (09:43)

“Everything that you do needs to be best in class.”

Through a simple example of choosing higher quality fries, Pinky explains how small product decisions directly impact return visits. Investing in quality often leads to stronger long-term performance.

Reframing Failure as Fuel (12:18)

“Failure is not failure at all.”

After experiencing major financial setbacks, Pinky reframed failure as part of the journey. Her mindset shift allowed her to rebuild stronger and create new opportunities.

The Importance of Vulnerability (15:13)

“You need to be vocal about what is happening in your business.”

Pinky encourages operators to speak openly about challenges. Asking for help, rather than hiding struggles, can unlock resources, relationships, and solutions.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinky-cole-879696a6/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sluttyveganatl/

https://sluttyveganatl.com/

Transcript

00:00:00:07 – 00:00:25:23

Zack Oates

Welcome to another edition of Give An Ovation, the Restaurant Guest Experience podcast. I’m your host, Zack Oates, and each week I chat with industry experts to uncover their strategies and tactics you can use to create a five star guest experience. This podcast is powered by ovation. The AI feedback and operations platform built for bolting at restaurants. Learn what’s actually happening in your restaurant and exactly how to improve while driving revenue.

00:00:25:23 – 00:00:54:24

Zack Oates

Learn more at ovation up.com. And today I’m going to give an introduction. Even though our guest today needs no introduction. She is the Pinky Cole, founder of Slutty Vegan. She is a TV personality. Casting director producer. She’s done so many different things and really an icon in this industry. And someone that is an inspiration for entrepreneurs not just in food but in life.

00:00:54:24 – 00:00:59:08

Zack Oates

And so pinky, so grateful to have you on the podcast. I know this is a long time coming.

00:00:59:10 – 00:01:05:22

Pinky Cole

I know I’m excited to be here and I’m sure that it will be different from what you usually used to.

00:01:05:24 – 00:01:29:23

Zack Oates

I know because you have such an interesting background and you’ve been doing so many things. So talk to me about slutty vegan, like, I mean, such an incredible name. Do you think that Slutty Vegan would be as successful as it was if it had a name that was like vegan fair? Or like, how much of the name and the brand do you think was important in building this empire?

00:01:30:03 – 00:01:47:06

Pinky Cole

There is power in a name. And, you know, I was telling my friends, if I were to name this concept Pinky’s Vegan, I would not have had the lines down a blog. I don’t think that people would come. But when you think about the name Slutty Vegan, I’m calling people sluts, right? And it’s such an uncomfortable word when you think about it.

00:01:47:06 – 00:02:07:09

Pinky Cole

But I really have been able to redesign the word and the definition of that word that actually makes people question it and want to talk about like, why on earth would somebody name this thing Slutty Vegan? And because I’m a television producer by trade, I know that there’s a couple of things that sell sex sells raunchiness in your face sells.

00:02:07:11 – 00:02:32:12

Pinky Cole

And because I’m selling something that to society, it’s holistic, right? When you think about vegan food, I needed something that was just going to be a little wretched, that would spark conversation. And the word slutty was just it just hit me like a light bulb. So I wouldn’t change a thing. And I’m so glad that I created Slutty Vegan when I did, because that name alone has really been in a lot of rooms that you would never hear the word slutty in.

00:02:32:12 – 00:02:41:05

Pinky Cole

So we got, oh, people, young people, women and white people. Black people. It doesn’t matter. People have embraced this brand and it started all with a name.

00:02:41:07 – 00:03:01:03

Zack Oates

And I think it’s so interesting because I look at what you’ve done with slutty Vegan, and I look at brands that have successfully done this, like, you know, liquid death. I think liquid death is another example of someone who built a incredible brand on the back of something that seems very tame and safe, right? Like vegan food and water.

00:03:01:05 – 00:03:12:04

Zack Oates

But you did it scrappy in the beginning, you know, like, you obviously got a lot of funding later on. But in the beginning, how did you make yourself seem bigger than you actually were?

00:03:12:06 – 00:03:34:08

Pinky Cole

Being myself. Right. And I think that that is the secret to success when you’re growing these brands, like there needs to be a level of authenticity even when you’re corporate, right? Like even when you’re building this big chain, your startup founder, you get all this funding. Something has to connect with the human being, okay? They have to feel connected to the realness of what it is that you’re offering.

00:03:34:09 – 00:03:59:11

Pinky Cole

And a minute that it doesn’t feel real. You will lose your customers. I’m a witness, okay? I brought in this whole C-suite and all of the things, and it started becoming more about the bottom line and the money. And we walked away from that experience, that experience that felt like this restaurant that was from around the way and this mom and pop shop, and what people don’t know is you could still give a mom and pop experience and still grow and be corporate.

00:03:59:15 – 00:04:13:02

Pinky Cole

And I think because I’ve been through it, you know, I was yesterday, I was seeing how like I’ve been through every stage of business, I know what it feels like to raise a lot of money. I know what it feels like to lose money. I know what it feels like to file bankruptcy. I know what it feels like to do a restructure.

00:04:13:02 – 00:04:35:04

Pinky Cole

I also know what it feels like to be at the top of my game, and I know what it feels like to fall from grace. So when I’m speaking, Zach, I’m speaking from experience because that human connection that you create with your customer is so integral to the success of your business, and you cannot ever lose it, especially when you’re a startup founder with a cult following.

00:04:35:06 – 00:04:56:16

Zack Oates

I think that’s so amazing that that idea of authenticity, that idea of remain in the at your heart mom and pop while you’re building something literally an empire. And so as you look at what you’re doing and I’d love to hear some lessons that you learned from some really big wins and what that moment was like when that win happened.

00:04:56:18 – 00:05:01:15

Zack Oates

And whether it’s a challenge or two that you learned some really critical lessons from.

00:05:01:17 – 00:05:20:09

Pinky Cole

Some really big wins. I got the opportunity to partner with Danny Meyer, his team, Richie, Lou Dennis. So I really got some sophisticated investors on my team early on. Even though they’re no longer my investors, I was able to work with them early on, and it really made me see private equity differently. I got to learn a lot from them.

00:05:20:09 – 00:05:44:12

Pinky Cole

And now with that level of knowledge, I do things differently. In 2.0, I got to raise a total of $33 million as a small business. This way that you see that in the restaurant industry, my company got valued at $100 million. So I literally have made history. If I don’t do nothing else, my company has made history, especially in the vegan space and in a market where you see vegan restaurants closing every single day.

00:05:44:16 – 00:06:03:13

Pinky Cole

And we’ve been able to stand the test of time. Yeah, we had some bruises. Yeah, we had some hiccups, but we’re still thriving. We’re still standing and we’re opening up franchises. So I’m really proud of that and learning along the way and just getting better with time. Some of the things that I learned that are critical and the process of success.

00:06:03:13 – 00:06:29:09

Pinky Cole

When you are scaling a company is you have to have the right team, okay? Like you can have a team all day long. But there’s a difference between having a team and the right team with the right team, looks like is the operational wherewithal okay. People who know operations, also people who have the relationships within the operational world when it comes to hospitality, because I’ve been through a lot of froggies.

00:06:29:09 – 00:06:50:04

Pinky Cole

Okay. And what I’ve learned in those froggies is the resume could be really good, but if you really don’t know the heart and soul of operations and getting in the trenches and putting your feet on the ground, you’re not the right person to help take my business to the next level. Also, there is power in relationships and making sure that you align with people on your team who also have industry relationships.

00:06:50:10 – 00:07:14:05

Pinky Cole

Okay, because these days it’s not always what you know. It’s who you know. You know the right people. You can get in the right rooms, you get the right deals. I see it every single day, right? Just knowing the right people can get you deals that other people otherwise wouldn’t get. So I’ve learned that along the way, and I think having the right team has been the theme of my whole entire restructure and slightly beginning, just putting the right people in place.

00:07:14:10 – 00:07:29:08

Pinky Cole

You know, there’s a saying you can go far alone, but you can go further together and if you can go together with the right people, it has a trickle down effect. Your customers will feel it, your employees will feel it, the infrastructure will feel it. And it’s just a recipe for success.

00:07:29:10 – 00:07:48:01

Zack Oates

How do you know if you have the wrong person? Don’t tell me you just know because I know that people like you. You have this intuition, like you’re someone who you could feel it. And I can get that. But if you were to put that into like, Claude and say, here’s how pinky knows if it’s the right, if it’s the wrong person or not.

00:07:48:03 – 00:07:50:00

Zack Oates

What would you say would be the formula there?

00:07:50:02 – 00:08:12:04

Pinky Cole

What the first thing, especially if I’m looking for an operation, say it. If you can’t do a PNL and you’ve run from that, I’m going to run from you. Okay? A PNL is the biggest indicator. You know, somebody taught me a long time ago, and now I do this when I’m interviewing people. I want them to give me a sample of a PNL and a reason why I do that is because that really is the report card of your business.

00:08:12:06 – 00:08:29:10

Pinky Cole

And if it’s not done properly and correctly, you can have misinformation on the decisions that you’re making. Your business. If it’s wrong, if it’s wrong, you can be cut labor when labor and what you need to cut. You know what I’m saying? If it’s wrong, yeah, yeah, yeah. If it’s wrong, you could be taking stuff off the menu that you don’t need to take off.

00:08:29:10 – 00:08:48:13

Pinky Cole

If it’s wrong, right? If it’s wrong, you could be making poor decisions in your business that will affect the bottom line and the consumer experience, no pun intended. If you don’t have the right panels. So that’s kind of the first red flag. If the if they’re not intentional about thinking about panels in their conversation, then that’s a big red flag for me.

00:08:48:15 – 00:09:09:09

Zack Oates

I think that’s so amazing because one of the things that we always talk about is there are two buckets that every single thing that you do in the restaurant is either going to drip into one of two buckets, either increase profit or improve the guest experience. Now you could do things that improve both, and that hurt both. But usually it’s an inverse thing, right?

00:09:09:11 – 00:09:26:10

Zack Oates

You want to make better. You want to have better ingredients. It’s going to hurt your profits in the short term, but improve the guest experience. So hopefully improve your profits in the long term. If you want to cut staff to improve your profits, that’s probably going to hurt your guest experience, right? And so you need to really balance both.

00:09:26:12 – 00:09:43:02

Pinky Cole

You know that. That’s a it’s funny that you said that. I want to add this here. We literally just dealt with that. Most recently we had a fry that was a good fry. It wasn’t a great fry. Did what it needed to do. But then we had an elite fry. And this is a fry that we originally used in the business.

00:09:43:08 – 00:09:59:02

Pinky Cole

And it really was like a $10 difference. Okay, in the fry in the box of fry. So we had to make a tough decision. Okay. Do you go with a higher premium fry is going to make people come back again and give a better experience. And in the long run, you and or do we go? It is cheaper fry.

00:09:59:04 – 00:10:17:01

Pinky Cole

Now we may get somebody that comes and buys the food, but we can’t guarantee that they’re going to come back again because the fry is not the best in class product. And when we talk about hospitality, everything that you do needs to be best in class. The consumer experience needs to be best in class. The food needs to be best in class.

00:10:17:01 – 00:10:33:24

Pinky Cole

How they consume it needs to be best in class because that is what makes people come back okay. And what’s better than a new customer? A returning customer? So to your point, it’s very critical the decisions that you make, but you have to have the right people around you to help you make those decisions.

00:10:34:01 – 00:11:01:08

Zack Oates

Because it’s going to cost you upwards of 2 to 10 x depending on how depending on what your customer acquisition cost is to get that new person to try you out, as opposed to getting someone to, you know, to return. And what we’re finding right now is that people are eating out less often. When they eat out, they’re spending less to do it in terms of like, they’re not buying as many food items and they’re doing a lot less exploration.

00:11:01:10 – 00:11:07:15

Zack Oates

And so if you mess up and you lose your spot and one of their, you know, fave five.

00:11:07:15 – 00:11:08:23

Pinky Cole

Get it again.

00:11:09:00 – 00:11:28:09

Zack Oates

Yeah. I mean, if you do, it could be years down the road. I think of this. There is a pizza joint. I used to go there every single month. I went there one time and they had this dressing that I really like to dip by pizza in, and it was so runny. It was like liquid, just like pure, just water.

00:11:28:11 – 00:11:38:05

Zack Oates

I didn’t go back for two years and not because I was spiteful, but because I was like, I stopped every time I thought about that pizza place. I was like, oh, that dressing was bad.

00:11:38:07 – 00:11:38:19

Pinky Cole

Right?

00:11:38:19 – 00:11:56:16

Zack Oates

Yeah. And I went back two years later and the dressing was like it used to be. It may have just been a bad day, but like, you can’t serve that kind of product because every single person in that restaurant is having that experience. And if it’s not consistent, they’re not going to do it exactly. But failure isn’t fatal.

00:11:56:16 – 00:12:16:23

Zack Oates

And this is why I love the title of your book. I Hope You Fail by Pinky Cole. Right? This is an incredible title, and I think that you were just like a master namer because Slutty Vegan. I hope you fail. And I love this subtitle to ten hater Statements holding you back from getting everything you want. Talk to us about that title.

00:12:16:23 – 00:12:18:05

Zack Oates

I hope you fail.

00:12:18:07 – 00:12:36:15

Pinky Cole

I think that was the preface to what was about to happen in my life of the next couple of years, but, you know, I’ve had some considerable amount of wins, but I’ve also had some failures along the way, and I feel like every great success story has a healthy balance of both, because how else will you get better if you don’t fall on your face?

00:12:36:15 – 00:12:55:24

Pinky Cole

Automata. Right? So this book is really the Bible for entrepreneurs and for people who are in a corporate space and just trying to be the best version of themselves, to just really think about how to reframe your mindset and rethinking everything we do starts in the mind, okay, you want to wake up and you brush your teeth and I think about it.

00:12:55:24 – 00:13:11:00

Pinky Cole

You want to wake up and start working out. It starts in your mind if you want to do it fast, like I just told you that I’m doing, it all starts in your mind. So what you think about you become. So if something around you is happening negative in your life, all you got to do is change your mindset.

00:13:11:04 – 00:13:32:16

Pinky Cole

Okay? You think about the positive within the negative and you understand that everything is happening for you and it’s not happening to you. If I didn’t lose my restaurant in Harlem, New York before I started Slutty Vegan, there was no way that I was going to get an opportunity to move to Los Angeles, California to work on a show and then get relocated to create Slutty Vegan.

00:13:32:19 – 00:13:51:11

Pinky Cole

So I’m so grateful for the losses that have happened in my past, because it only propelled me to be better. Saying, like, Slutty Vegan, I opened up Slutty Vegan in 2018, had the biggest run of my life, and I lost everything. I had $20 million in debt. I almost lost my mind when I tell you that because that happened to me.

00:13:51:11 – 00:14:15:10

Pinky Cole

It opened the door for me to now be on a television show, which is the largest franchise in America, called Real Housewives of Atlanta, where I can inspire entrepreneurs around the world. So failure is not failure at all. It is finding the aspiration and the losses. Okay, finding the positive in the negative so that when you look back you can say, all right, this happened for a reason and I’m so much better for it.

00:14:15:12 – 00:14:38:01

Zack Oates

There’s so much that is clear in hindsight. What do you say to someone who’s currently getting kicked in the face? Right. Like, I mean, there’s so many restaurants right now that they’re scared because I was just out to lunch with a couple of customers and they’re like, look, these gas prices are going to start to trickle down into my food costs, and I’m already at 40% food costs, like, what am I going to do?

00:14:38:03 – 00:14:47:16

Zack Oates

And when you think about that, when you think about like the fear, the worry, the hey, I’m going to have to close this down, what do you say to people who are in the middle of getting kicked?

00:14:47:16 – 00:15:13:09

Pinky Cole

This is the most unconventional advice that I will share with you, Zach. For everybody who’s watching this, you need to be vocal about what is happening in your business. We have so much shame when it comes to entrepreneurship and pride and ego that we don’t want people to see us vulnerable and weak. I suffered from it for years until I opened up my mouth and I started talking about it, and I will have you know that I’ve gotten more opportunities and more support.

00:15:13:09 – 00:15:29:07

Pinky Cole

When I started to open up about the struggles of entrepreneurship than keeping my mouth closed and not asking for help so it hurts now. I’ve been there. You won’t cry. You’re going to have some sleepless nights, okay? You’re going to be looking at your payroll like, how am I going to figure this out? You’re going to have to make some significant cuts.

00:15:29:07 – 00:15:47:19

Pinky Cole

It’s going to put more workload on you. But at the end of the day, if you can confidently open your mouth and be vulnerable about what’s happening in your business, you’d be surprised that there’s somebody out there. The other wants to help you. They can give you a resource or some knowledge or some information to help you get out of the situation that you’re in.

00:15:47:22 – 00:16:02:17

Pinky Cole

That is the best advice that I can give you. And this ain’t fluff. This is something that I literally just gotten out of. Asking for help is okay. When you’re an entrepreneur, there are people out there that are willing to help, but you got to open up your mouth and ask for it.

00:16:02:19 – 00:16:25:14

Zack Oates

I think that goes both ways, because while you have been helped by so many people, I know that you have also helped so many people, and it’s about knowing that while you are struggling with where you’re at, you’re living someone’s dream, right? I heard will get there. I talk about this, about how beautiful it is to struggle with the things that like achieving our dreams, right?

00:16:25:17 – 00:16:38:01

Zack Oates

That we struggle with the things that we once dreamed would be a possibility. And now it’s like sometimes we forget to take that step back and be like, wow, it’s amazing that I’m even here to have this struggle.

00:16:38:01 – 00:17:04:24

Pinky Cole

Yeah, right. Like some people pray for these kind of struggles where I am complaining and, you know, I people standing in line wishing they were in my position. You know, how many people that wish they could say that they had $20 million in debt? Some people don’t even touch one of those digits. You understand what I’m saying? I’m like, so sometimes I have to check myself and remember that I’ve done so many incredible things as an entrepreneur and to be proud no matter what, because I’ve made some major milestones.

00:17:04:24 – 00:17:08:07

Pinky Cole

There’s so many people are still wishing that they could have made.

00:17:08:09 – 00:17:28:05

Zack Oates

I love that. I think it’s so powerful. And I got to tell you frankly, I am blown away with your energy knowing that you’re in the midst of a three day fast, folks. I mean, like that is unbelievable. It seems like you just had like a 44 ounce coffee and I pull you up.

00:17:28:06 – 00:17:30:04

Pinky Cole

I don’t do drugs.

00:17:30:06 – 00:17:50:24

Zack Oates

Hahaha. Well, ozempic is my drug of choice. But I will tell you, Binky, this has been such an inspiring conversation. I love your story. I’ve loved hearing you speak from the first time that I met you. Years ago, you and Danny Maia were sharing a stage at NRA. And Kelly McPherson, who’s one of my longtime advisors, brought me back there.

00:17:50:24 – 00:18:04:12

Zack Oates

And I got to meet you and Danny. And I was just. I’ve been so impressed with you and, your story and your vulnerability. So thank you for coming on the podcast. How can people find and follow you in addition to where can they buy your book? I hope you fail.

00:18:04:14 – 00:18:19:09

Pinky Cole

You might see me on TMZ every other day, but, you can Google me. I’m on, pinky colon or handles, Slutty Vegan ATL on all handles and my book is everywhere. EBooks are available, and I also have a cookbook called Eat Plants, bitch.

00:18:19:11 – 00:18:33:11

Zack Oates

Oh, of course you do I love that, yes. Oh, man. Well, pinky. Oh. Last question. Who is someone that we should be following? Who’s someone that you follow for inspiration and or, different ideas?

00:18:33:13 – 00:18:37:10

Pinky Cole

My husband. Big dance cheesesteaks. Duh.

00:18:37:12 – 00:18:40:21

Zack Oates

And Derek is so cool. I’m so excited to have him on the podcast.

00:18:40:21 – 00:18:50:16

Pinky Cole

Oh, he’s incredible. And, you know, I said, out of two businesses what I’m going to pop in a major way. So I get to be butt naked on a beach one day. Okay. What is mine is.

00:18:50:18 – 00:19:00:21

Zack Oates

I love that. Well, pinky, for teaching us how to be authentic on the journey from mom and pop to corporate. From wins the losses. Today’s ovation goes to you. Thank you for joining us. I give an ovation.

00:19:00:23 – 00:19:01:24

Pinky Cole

Thank you.

00:19:02:01 – 00:19:24:13

Zack Oates

Thanks for joining us today. If you liked this episode, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen. We’re all about feedback here. Again, this episode was sponsored by ovation, a two question, SMS based, actionable guest feedback platform built for multi-unit restaurants. If you’d like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience, visit us at ovation up.com.