As part of our Now Serving collab series, this week we’re headed to Atlanta to collaborate with Pinky Cole—philanthropist, entrepreneur, and founder of Slutty Vegan!

Keeping it local

When it comes to partnerships, it’s no secret we keep our standards high— seeking out leaders in the culinary industry to bring our guests crave-worthy menu items made with local, quality ingredients. We’re thrilled to join forces with Pinky to serve up her SluttyShack to Shack fans in Atlanta for a good cause.

This limited-time collab sandwich pays homage to elements of Pinky’s most-popular menu items (that always draw lines down the street) and features our own veggie patty topped with Pinky’s secret Slut Dust, lemon ginger kale, caramelized onions, ranch, and mayo on a toasted Hawaiian bun—all 100% vegan.

Good eats for a good cause

As a part of our Now Serving collab series, net proceeds from the SluttyShack will be donated to Giving Kitchen, an Atlanta-based organization providing crisis mitigation for food service works.

As a part of our mission to Stand for Something Good®, we’re committed to supporting and investing in our local communities.

Meet Pinky

Aisha “Pinky” Cole is the founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan ATL. She was born to Jamaican immigrant parents in Baltimore and after attending Clark Atlanta University, she moved to LA and landed a job in the TV industry. Her career brought her to NYC, where she opened a Jamaican restaurant called “Pinky’s” in 2014. The restaurant burnt down from a grease fire which led Pinky broke. She built herself back up by landing a job on the OWN network and then came up the idea for Slutty Vegan in 2018.

We recently sat down with Pinky to get the inside scoop on everything from the inspiration behind Slutty Vegan to her most cherished, secret, recipe:

What inspired you to open Slutty Vegan and how did you come up with the name?
In July 2018, I was inspired to create a vegan restaurant due to my own cravings for vegan junk food. I honestly just wanted some really good vegan comfort food and I didn’t realize I was about to start a vegan revolution. I never expected to have such a big title, but the universe works in such mysterious ways and I am grateful for that.

I came up with the name Slutty Vegan as a provocative hook. Slutty Vegan, in my mind, is someone who eats vegan but enjoys junk food. The name came to me one evening like a light bulb and it stuck!

What makes the Atlanta dining scene so special?  What has the past year been like for restaurants in Atlanta?
The people in Atlanta want good food no matter what it is. People want something delicious. Atlanta is a food city with so many options and people love to eat here.

I can only speak on behalf of my business and I am grateful that Slutty Vegan has done tremendously well in the midst of a pandemic. We’ve done so well that we’ve been able to open up many locations. I think that this is an opportunity for really good restaurants to be able to prove themselves, and we got to do just that which is very exciting. 

Of all the restaurants in the world, why partner with Shake Shack?
I really admire what Shake Shack stands for. I love how mission driven the company is, how you speak and do a lot for the communities you are in. That’s really what Slutty Vegan represents, so I knew that there would be some synergies between both businesses and that Shake Shack would make a great partner.

Can you break down the creation of the SluttyShack for us?
I actually got some support from our house Chef Mimi [chef at Slutty Vegan] who was the inspiration for the sandwich. We wanted to create something the Slutty Vegan and Shake Shack fans would love. Slutty Vegan is known for the secret being in the sauce, so we decided to take a spin on our sauce with the secret slut dust to try something new!

Burning questions

• What’s your favorite ingredient to cook with? Nutritional yeast! It makes everything taste better.
• What’s your most cherished recipe? The sauce! The secret is in the sauce and it’s on every Slutty Vegan burger.
• Describe the SluttyShack in three words. So damn good!

Where and when to snag the SluttyShack

Get it while it’s hot! Fans can grab the SluttyShack on Thursday, April 8th at the Old Fourth Ward Shack in Atlanta.

Swing by the Shack and order IRL, or skip the wait and opt for contactless payment and pick-up by ordering ahead on our Shack App or online.