Slutty Vegan to Open Fast-Food Joint in the World’s Busiest Airport

Popular plant-based chain Slutty Vegan has begun construction for its forthcoming location at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is set to open by the end of the year.

Pinky Cole’s Slutty Vegan is coming to the world’s busiest airport. Passengers travelling through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will be able to dine at the plant-based fast-food eatery by the end of 2024.

The restaurant chain – which is also headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia – has begun construction on what looks like a large site at the airport’s Concourse B, Cole announced last week on Instagram.

“I literally started in a shared kitchen 6 years ago and now Slutty Vegan will be the FIRST EVER vegan restaurant in the busiest airport in the world,” she wrote. “Slutty Vegan and a full bar in CONCOURSE B sounds like flights will be missed.”

Slutty Vegan’s Atlanta airport location fills a large hole

The new location will also feature a bar, and was first teased in September last year. Cole announced the move on Instagram after winning a bid for the site at the international airport.

“I have the most ICONIC announcement of my professional career,” wrote Cole. “Slutty Vegan will be a PERMANENT LOCATION in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport! WE JUST WON THE BID.”

She added: “Y’all, this is the busiest airport in America, and my restaurant will be there!”

Hartsfield-Jackson has been the busiest airport every year since 1998 (barring the pandemic-hit 2020), and welcomes over 104.6 million passengers annually. But while it has restaurants that offer vegan-friendly food, including P.F. Chang’s, Lottafrutta and Grindhouse Killer Burgers, this will be the first time it will have a fully plant-based restaurant.

Slutty Vegan’s outpost will also become one of the only 100% vegan eateries at airports across the world. Los Angeles International Airport previously had a Real Food Daily location, but it has now closed.

“Given that Atlanta Airport is the busiest airport in the country, with high foot traffic, we expect it to be one of our busiest locations,” Slutty Vegan founding partner and chief revenue officer Jason Crain told Food Chain Magazine in February. “We are thrilled to be at the forefront and showcase what Atlanta has to offer through our vegan menu.”

While having a location at an airport has its challenges, it’s a shrewd move on Slutty Vegan’s part. Most travellers are routinely disappointed at the lack of diversity and quality of meat-free options at airports, yet everybody eats during their journeys. A 9,000-person global survey this year found that only 2% of passengers never eat or drink at the airport.

It also revealed that the popularity of sit-down dining and bar options has increased, with 41% preferring this option. That bodes well for Slutty Vegan and its bar.

Marketing prowess has powered Slutty Vegan’s rise

Cole, a former TV producer, first founded Slutty Vegan in 2018 as a food truck, two years after her previous restaurant in Harlem, New York was destroyed by a fire. Her first brick-and-mortar location opened its doors just outside of Atlanta in 2019, and in the years since, she has built it into one of America’s most popular vegan chains.

In 2022, the business raised $25M at a $100M valuation, led by Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments and Essence Ventures CEO Richelieu Dennis’ New Voice Fund. The capital was to be used for Slutty Vegan’s expansion to 20 locations – at the time, it had five restaurants, and it now has 11 currently in operation.

The eatery chain is known for its extensive social media marketing and brand partnerships. It hosts residencies in different cities throughout the year, and announced two collaborations in the last week alone. Along with Bar Vegan, its sister bar chain, Slutty Vegan teamed up with whole-cut meat producer Chunk Foods to add a brisket sandwich and 4oz steak entrée to the menu at some of its locations.

Additionally, it extended its ongoing link-up with shoe designer Angela Simmons, bringing Vegan Fried Oreos to select locations, featuring a mix from their original collaboration, Angela’s Cakes.

Slutty Vegan – known for menu items like the One Night Stand bacon cheeseburger, Hollywood Hooker cheesesteak and fries with its signature Slut Dust seasoning – has made a name for itself through provocative and highly effective marketing.

“You want to be able to tell a story to the people who are watching. Telling their story will make people come into your business and support it. That’s the reason why we get people to come through the doors and support our brand,” Cole told Forbes in May.

This approach is what has made the chain stand out where others have failed. For example, despite being the world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s said its McPlant trial had failed in the US, blaming a lack of demand. But some have argued that its marketing and rollout left a lot to be desired.

“The McPlant is at best, boring. At worse, worthy. Let’s remember the average American has never heard the term ‘plant-based’,” Jennifer Woollford, founder of marketing community Neon Leaders, who has held executive roles at Mars and Perfect Day, told Green Queen last month.

“So what are they expected to feel about a McPlant, especially one with a green leaf on the box? Compare [this] to Slutty Vegan – full of energy, excitement and building an experience out of eating plants.”