Slutty Vegan Withdraws Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Location Amid Company Restructuring

Slutty Vegan has withdrawn its planned location in Concourse B at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, two years after the concept was initially approved.

Airport officials recently approved a request from Slutty Vegan’s concessionaire partners to replace the planned Concourse B location with two new concepts: Buffalo Wild Wings and an Asian-Southern fusion spot called Wu Tang Asian Kitchen. Both are set to open in December 2025, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Delaware North’s original concept for Slutty Vegan has been withdrawn. We are reviewing new requests and will work with the concessionaire to make the best decision for our passengers,” an airport spokesperson said.

The canceled airport location comes just two months after Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Hayes revealed that she temporarily gave up control of the company through an “assignment for the benefit of creditors,” but was able to repurchase it six weeks later. Cole cited cash-flow challenges and high corporate overhead as key reasons behind the decision to restructure her popular vegan food chain.

Cole had big plans for the Concourse B location, telling AJC’s The Monica Pearson Show in April 2024 that it would launch in the third quarter as “the first vegan concept ever to be in the airport.” However, by November, concessionaires were informed of “potential business and financial difficulties within the Slutty Vegan organization,” according to unearthed documents.

Soon after, Slutty Vegan announced it was searching for a new president, a role that was officially filled earlier this month by tech entrepreneur Lauren Maillian. By January 2025, the concessionaire team, comprising Delaware North and H&H Hospitality, opted to scale down the Slutty Vegan concept and introduce another brand to share the Concourse B space.

By February, the concessionaire team had released a change request stating that Slutty Vegan was “no longer sustainable or viable for this location” and was seeking replacement brands. The announcement came the same month that Cole temporarily lost control of her company.

H&H founding partner Randy Hazelton said the license agreement with Slutty Vegan “became null and void as a result of Slutty Vegan losing ownership of the brand while going through the restructuring.”

“The decision was made due to the uncertainty of the direction of the brand in light of this event,” he said.

Cole is still moving forward with her company’s expansion into new vegan food concepts and lifestyle products. Last month, she opened the first vegan hoagie location, called Voagies, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and teased possible brand partnerships, as well as cosmetics and clothing.

Slutty Vegan 2.0 is bigger than just food,” she told UATL. “It’s a lifestyle brand, and I want people to see that and know that.”

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