Pinky Cole, the founder of the popular Slutty Vegan chain of eateries, is coming under fire after a former employee alleged that Cole underpaid them. As a result, Cole’s appearance on NBC’s TODAY show was abruptly canceled prompting Cole to issue a statement declaring she would never do such a thing under her watch.
Pinky Cole, 35, burst onto the scene after opening her vegan burger chain Slutty Vegan in the Atlanta Metropolis area, sparking long lines of satisfied customers. The chain has since expanded into opening brick-and-mortar locations in Atlanta, New York, and a location coming to Washington, D.C.
Cole also owns Bar Vegan, a plant-based bar that borrows from the Slutty Vegan concept. According to Cole, she doesn’t oversee the daily operations of the establishment and boldly declared she would never do anything of the sort.
From IG:
This week, I was named in a lawsuit for one of my companies, Bar Vegan, alongside my partners, over alleged unpaid wages from one employee. Again, ALLEGED.
Up until this point, I was not familiar with this ordeal or the employee, because I don’t run day to day operations at Bar Vegan.
But because it’s a SEXY STORY to make a community leader look like a bad guy, this has become headline news.
What do I gain withholding someone’s hard earned money when my blessings overflow EVERYDAY? When I’m helping people EVERYDAY! When I’m using my resources to put people on EVERYDAY.. employees included! My life’s work is in service, and this negativity don’t match my name.
It isn’t known how far along the legal proceedings are in the lawsuit against Cole and her business partners but she’s promising to use this moment to forge ahead with her plans of expansion despite the disappointment of not getting her slot on the TODAY show.
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Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
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