When businesswoman and philanthropist Aisha “Pinky” Cole opened Slutty Vegan in 2018, she had a modernized approach to how she would promote and market the Atlanta-based eatery. Everything from the restaurant’s name to how she engaged with customers kept Slutty Vegan ATL relevant amongst a social media-driven generation. Word of mouth, high energy, celebrity praises, and of course, tasty food, have helped the restaurant become most popular amongst vegans and meat-eaters alike.
However, with COVID-19 threatening small businesses, especially those in the restaurant industry, Slutty Vegan ATL has had to restructure the way they do business. Fortunately, they’ve come up with strategies that have ensured the restaurant will continue to thrive — even during a pandemic.
Social media is a huge part of Slutty Vegan’s business model and has contributed to much of the company’s popularity. “Our community grew from the Atlanta market into a global phenomenon through being able to connect with people from their computers, tablets, and mobile phones,” Pinky Cole tells AfroTech. “Our platforms have helped us to take our community along for the transparent entrepreneurial journey through the lens of social media.”
What’s unique to the restaurant is that they not only have a brick & mortar location, but also a mobile food truck that navigates around the Atlanta area. To inform customers about the location of the truck, Slutty Vegan communicates via social media, email, and other means of mobile technology.
“We are at everyone’s fingertips,” Pinky says. “Daily, we announce the locations of our food truck, the menu of the day, hours of operation, and other Slutty News with the use of our social media platforms to keep our community in the know. We have set a standard for our Sluts with daily postings at 3 PM Tuesday – Saturday. So, turn on your post notifications for the latest updates on where you can find the Slut Mobile.”
Slutty Vegan has also implemented the use of a text messaging service, allowing them to communicate directly with customers who want to stay informed.
“Text messaging has become a preferred method of communication for many people. Now, we built a community with the use of text messaging alongside our social media communities. You can text us at (678) 846-3255 to opt-in for exclusive updates, promotions, and humorous conversations from Slutty Vegan the family. This service is allowing us to have a more personable approach with our Sluts. They love talking to us and we love talking to them.”
The restaurant, which normally boasts long lines of hungry patrons looking to get ahold of one of their mouth-watering vegan burgers, has also adjusted to the new COVID-19 social-distancing guidelines by creating a new limited menu and putting new delivery rules in place.
For the safety of employees and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Slutty Vegan revealed on Instagram that they will not be doing walk-ups. Instead, they’ll be using Uber Eats to deliver food to customers within a 5-mile radius.
Despite the temporary obstacles COVID-19 has placed on small businesses, Slutty Vegan still has plans to expand in the future.
“Slutty Vegan will be scaling the business and will become a national brand in the upcoming years,” Pinky reveals. ” Currently, we will have two additional Atlanta based locations that will open soon. One will be located in the Edgewood and Jonesboro areas.”
In the meantime, if you want to get a little Slutty Vegan in your life, make sure you follow them on social media: Instagram (@sluttyveganatl), Facebook (Slutty Vegan ATL), and Twitter (@sluttyveganatl), or text (678) 846-3255 to opt-in to their updates on your mobile phone. You can also visit their website at www.sluttyveganatl.com.
