Six new franchise agreements, a Baltimore opening, and a first foothold in Florida mark Slutty Vegan's most active growth stretch since founder Pinky Cole Hayes reclaimed the Atlanta-based plant-based burger brand following a highly public restructuring. The milestones signal that the brand's rebuilt franchise model is attracting seasoned operators ready to scale it into new regions.
The Franchise Pipeline
The H1 2026 signing spree spans four states and multiple markets. In Slutty Vegan's home base of Atlanta, Khadejah Davis and Jamel Douglas—already multi-unit owners of Juici Patties—took over and now operate the brand's flagship location as its first franchise owners. The pair simultaneously signed to bring Slutty Vegan to Miami, making them the brand's first multi-market operators and giving the concept its long-awaited Florida debut.
Beyond the Southeast, franchise veteran Brandi Forte is leading D.C. development, while Detroit entrepreneur Obinani Iwuoha—who brings nearly a decade of food and beverage sector experience—signed the brand's first Midwest agreement. Soul Republic Hospitality Group, led by founder Akin Affrica, added a two-location Ohio deal covering Columbus and Cleveland, deepening that Midwest presence further.
The operator profile is deliberate. Rather than casting a wide net, Slutty Vegan is prioritizing franchisees with proven track records in foodservice and existing ties to the communities they'll serve—a strategy increasingly favored by fast-casual brands navigating a competitive restaurant franchise landscape.
Recognition and Brand Lift
Industry validation accompanied the growth. Cole Hayes landed on the 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, earning one of 25 executive spots in the annual report that tracks leaders shaping foodservice's direction. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Chamber of Arizona at its 27th Annual Pinnacle Pathways Gala.
Off the business pages, Cole Hayes joined the cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta for its 17th season—a mainstream platform that has introduced the brand to a significantly wider consumer audience and generated earned media that most fast-casual marketing budgets could not replicate.
What Operators Should Watch
Slutty Vegan's trajectory offers a pointed case study in brand recovery. After the restructuring, Cole Hayes tightened systems and leadership before reopening the franchise pipeline—a sequencing that plant-based dining analysts note is often skipped by brands under pressure to grow quickly. The result appears to be a more disciplined operator base entering markets where the brand has genuine cultural resonance, from the HBCU-connected Baltimore and D.C. corridor to Miami's diverse food scene.
Founded from a single food truck in 2018, Slutty Vegan has grown into one of the more recognizable names in plant-based fast casual, built on bold branding and high-energy in-store experiences. The next test is whether the rebuilt franchise infrastructure can deliver consistency at scale as the unit count grows across multiple new states simultaneously. For operators tracking the plant-based fast-casual segment, the brand's H1 performance suggests the answer is starting to take shape.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
