In celebration of Slutty Vegan’s 6th anniversary, Founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes made a monumental gesture by gifting two of her earliest supporters, Angel Barnwell and Miesha Hambrick, their very own franchise in Jonesboro, Georgia. These two women have been instrumental in the brand’s operations and logistics since its inception.
Cole Hayes, who started the plant-based fast food restuarant in 2018 from her two-bedroom apartment with a mission to provide healthier food options to the Atlanta community, credits Barnwell and Hambrick with helping to build the brand from the ground up.
“Angel and Miesha put blood, sweat, and tears into my business,” Cole Hayes shared in an Instagram post on August 6. “I am no longer the only entrepreneur at the table.”
Barnwell, who began her journey with Slutty Vegan as a social media intern on October 3, 2018, has worked her way up through the ranks, eventually becoming the assistant vice president of the company. “I spoke to every customer that we came into contact with,” Barnwell said in a 2024 Black History Month spotlight on Slutty Vegan’s TikTok.
RELATED: Pinky Cole’s Journey to Building The Slutty Vegan Empire
Hambrick, who serves as the operations manager, has been with Slutty Vegan since November 2018, just a month after the first restaurant location opened. Known for her dedication, Hambrick’s role includes overseeing operational flow, testing out new markets, and ensuring the functionality of the locations. She has also led Slutty Vegan’s tour operations, taking the brand on the road to connect with customers in different areas.
In 2022, the plant-based burger joint secured $25 million to finance 20 new locations across the US.
