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Social media savvy puts Atlanta's hot new vegan food truck on the map

Pinky Cole knew nothing about food trucks when she launched the Slutty Vegan. But she had a mission and a lot of social media savvy, which has made her food truck immensely popular.

February 6, 2019 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Pinky Cole's social media savvy has played a big role in her fast success with her food truck. Having launched her food truck, the Slutty Vegan, in August, she has already grossed six figures and recently opened a takeout restaurant. When the 6,500-square-foot brick-and-mortar store in Atlanta's Westview neighborhood held its grand opening last month, the line was five blocks long.

A Slutty Vegan takeout restaurant recently opened in the Westview neighborhood of Atlanta.

Cole has amassed a 133,000-member Instagram following that extends well beyond Atlanta. She has a tour planned this month to serve fans in New York City, Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Los Angeles, Houston and New Orleans. Cole told Food Truck Operator that she expects to do $700,000 in business in her first year.

Success was hardly a given when Cole invested $45,000 in a used UPS truck last summer. She readily admitted to knowing nothing about food trucks, and didn't even know where to take hers. But, being familiar with Atlanta's burgeoning motion picture industry, she took the truck to movie production sets. "This is the new Hollywood," she said.

A mission and media savvy

What Cole had going for her was her mission — to spread the message of vegan cuisine — one employee and a lot of media savvy from years working as a network TV producer, as described in part one of this two-part series.  

She was able to get endorsements from celebrities such as record producer Jermaine Dupri, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the cast of the TV Show "Black Lightning," the hip hop singer Ne-Yo, comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish, model and TV personality Porsha Williams and author and TV personality Iyanla Vanzant.

"All the celebrities that come to town go to the Slutty Vegan," said Lamont Johnson, Cole's public relations agent.

Cole attributes her popularity to providing good food and posting customer reviews on social media. "I don't sell burgers," she said. "I sell opinions." 

Her social media following is not only extensive, but deep. Fans go into extensive detail on Yelp about how much they enjoyed their experience. Several customers said they were not vegan food lovers but had heard about the food truck from friends and felt compelled to try it.

The truck's success even drew the attention of Forbes journalist Sonia Thompson, who was intrigued by the fact that so many nonvegans patronize it. After interviewing several of Cole's customers, Thompson credited much of the Slutty Vegan's success to a cult-like following. People wanted to be part of what they saw as an exclusive club. Due in part to this cachet, Cole has had no trouble finding employees.

The business expands

Cole's following has also generated a lucrative catering business, allowing her to earn as much as $3,000 for certain bookings. "It depends what kind of event it is," she said. She charged $3,000 for a homecoming party, $2,500 for a judge's surprise party and $1,500 for a company open house. She served at a Nike event the Friday before Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. Catering represents about 30 percent of her sales, Cole said.

The truck is on the road five days a week, serving 300 to 400 meals per day. Typically there is a line waiting for her regular 7 p.m. stops, which include food parks, Clark Atlanta University (her alma mater) and in front of the restaurant equipment store where she bought the truck. She posts her schedule on social media at 3 p.m. daily.

Cole plans to have a fleet of trucks in Atlanta and to expand to other cities, eventually.

For her six-city tour, which begins Feb. 18, she will take a group of employees and set up Slutty Vegan stands in lounges and restaurants. She decided to do the tour due to popular demand from fans outside of Atlanta. "People in these cities are going crazy about it," Johnson said.

"I like the fact that you don't have to keep still," Cole said.

She also likes the fact that food trucks force people to engage with each other. "With a food truck, not only are people coming together, meeting new people, they're networking, they're eating a good meal," she said.

"As a little girl I always wanted to be famous," she said. "I always wanted to be in front of the camera or on the radio. I didn't know it would look this way."

Photos courtesy of Slutty Vegan.

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.