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NY Post
New York Post
13 Apr 2023


NextImg:NYC’s Slutty Vegan restaurant workers got screwed out of wages, suit says

Workers at Brooklyn’s trendy plant-based burger joint, Slutty Vegan, got screwed out of wages by bosses at the wealthy company, according to a federal lawsuit.

Three employees at the firm’s new Fort Greene hotspot allege the restaurant denied them bonuses and overtime pay amounting to at least $8,000, according to the suit — even as the company is valued at $100 million.  

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The litigation was the second unpaid wages suit levied against founder and CEO Pinky Cole in three months, despite the firm’s deep pockets and backing from Danny Meyer of Shake Shack fame.

The Slutty Vegan committed “intentional, willful, and unlawful acts” causing the workers — who cooked and cleaned at the restaurant — to suffer “damages in an amount not presently ascertainable,” the Brooklyn federal lawsuit filed April 4 states.

In January, Cole and two partners were sued by workers at Bar Vegan, another restaurant she owns in Atlanta, claiming she withheld tips and failed to meet minimum wage standards.

The Fort Greene eatery, which sells veggie takes on burgers, cheese steak, hot dogs, caused a stir when it opened in September 2022 with cheekily named dishes such as the “One Night Stand” and the “Hollywood Hooker.”

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The plant-based joint sells vegan takes on burgers and cheese steaks.
Stefano Giovannini for NY Post

A glowing profile of Cole published by the New Yorker magazine Monday describes Cole’s “entrepreneurial streak dat[ing] back to her youth in Baltimore” and the company’s popular “party atmosphere” but doesn’t mention the Brooklyn lawsuit.

Slutty Vegan

The company’s founder also faced an unpaid wages lawsuit in January.
Stefano Giovannini for NY Post

In the Brooklyn lawsuit, Slutty Vegan was named as a defendant but Cole was not mentioned by name.

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A rep for the company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

In a January Instagram post following the Atlanta lawsuit filing, Cole claimed she’s not “familiar with this ordeal” and doesn’t run “day-to-day operations” at the restaurant.