Slutty Vegan is turning up the heat on Columbus. The buzzy plant-based chain has been dropping loud hints that central Ohio could be next, after founder Aisha “Pinky” Cole teased new deals on social media and tested the waters with a one-night popup in Gahanna this spring that drew long lines. The latest online breadcrumb trail, packed with regional food clues and a short list of possible cities, quickly sent local restaurant watchers and would-be franchisees scouring maps and property listings.
Pinky Cole's Instagram tease names Columbus
On July 3, the brand posted on Instagram that it had “signed agreements for two new locations” and listed Columbus along with Cleveland, Philadelphia, Nashville and Charlotte, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch. The post used playful clues, including a nod to a city “known for its legendary peanut butter and chocolate treats” and another to a place “famous for its iconic hot dogs,” that readers treated like a mini scavenger hunt for local specialties. According to the Dispatch, the social teaser fits neatly into a pattern of popups and franchise announcements the brand has been using to test new markets.
Gahanna popup gave central Ohio a taste
Cole's one-night popup on April 13 took over Barrel & Boar's Creekside location in Gahanna, which lists its address as 121 Mill Street, Suite 130 on the restaurant's site. That April event gave Columbus-area diners a shot at Slutty Vegan's stacked burgers and desserts and helped fuel local chatter about a more permanent outpost. Barrel & Boar's events and locations page confirms the Creekside venue and its hours, backing up what fans saw on the ground that night.
Expansion push comes amid a bumpy rebound
The Instagram announcement lands as Cole and her business juggle franchise deals, popups and a run of recent financial and legal challenges. Reporting has traced Chapter 11 filings, contested leases and a wave of franchise activity as the brand works to rebuild at the same time it grows. Coverage of the chain's recent openings and filings lays out a complicated backdrop for any new leases in markets like Columbus.
What a Columbus location would bring
Slutty Vegan's menu, detailed on the chain's official site, leans into plant-based comfort food: burgers, brisket-style sandwiches, cheesesteaks and desserts such as sweet potato pie and banana pudding. That lineup helps explain the long lines the concept can draw when it lands in a new city. A permanent Columbus spot would add another late-night, fast-casual option to neighborhoods already packed with buzzy concepts, and it would plug into a growing plant-forward dining scene across the region. Local landlords and restaurateurs note that popups are often the first step toward a full lease, which is why attention is likely to swing quickly to any new filings or property moves.
Neither Cole nor a company spokesperson provided additional specifics when reporters asked, The Columbus Dispatch reports and the company has not released a formal timeline or address. For now, fans in central Ohio are refreshing Slutty Vegan's social channels and scanning local coverage, waiting for the moment a Columbus location goes from online tease to official announcement.
