What should have been a celebratory day for entrepreneur Pinky Cole Hayes took an unexpected turn when her black Bentley was stolen right outside her new sandwich shop, Voagies, during its grand opening.
The founder of the plant-based fast food chain Slutty Vegan took to Instagram on May 25 to share a candid video describing the incident.
According to her account, three individuals on scooters allegedly pulled up to the curb in front of Voagies, jumped into her vehicle, and sped off while customers were lined up ordering food. The suspects left the scooters behind at the scene.
“Y’all, I swear this car is not good luck,” Cole said in the video. “We at Voagies, and somebody just stole the car that we just got out of the shop yesterday, in front of the restaurant — while we got people standing in line, ordering food.”
The camera panned to the street, showing the abandoned scooters and a crowd of bystanders near the restaurant. Despite the unsettling experience, Cole remained resilient and told fans she wasn’t letting the situation ruin her moment.
“We can’t catch a break, but you know what? God is still good,” she said. “If you see a Bentley, send me a DM ASAP.”
Voagies, Cole’s latest vegan venture, offers plant-based hoagies and marks the beginning of what she calls “Slutty Vegan 2.0.” Cole launched the new brand in collaboration with her husband Derrick Hayes, owner of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. The power couple is known for their work in the Atlanta food scene and have been steadily expanding their plant-based empire.
Cole, 37, recently reclaimed full ownership of Slutty Vegan after a temporary financial shake-up caused her to surrender control to appease investors who took issue with what they called “exorbitant” spending. After six weeks of regrouping, Cole bought the business back and is now focused on scaling new ventures with a more sustainable and visionary team.
“This is the first business in Slutty Vegan 2.0,” Cole said during the Voagies grand opening. “This is a hoagie shop like you have never experienced before. This brand is going to scale in a way that you ain’t never seen before… We will see this all over the world.”
As of today, Slutty Vegan has eight locations, including five in Georgia and others in Alabama, Maryland, and New York.
Atlanta police are reportedly investigating the incident, and Cole is urging anyone who spots her stolen black Bentley to contact her via direct message or report to authorities.
