Sunday, January 1, 2023

[UPDATE] Slutty Vegan Reveals Drive-Thru Restaurant Plans

Slutty Vegan revealed plans on December 30 for its first ever drive-thru.  The Atlanta-based vegan food chain did not indicate whether the renderings are of an actual location or just conceptualizing what a drive-thru for the brand might look like in the future.   The brand has spoken of "trying" a drive-thru since at least this past May.  

The chain, which entrepreneur Pinky Cole started in 2018, today includes five restaurants in Georgia as well as a location in Birmingham, Alabama and another in Brooklyn, New York.  According to the Slutty Vegan website, there are also new locations "coming soon" to Columbus, Georgia and Harlem, New York.  

Slutty Vegan is far from the only restaurant to explore drive- thru formats.  

Chipotle introduced their "Chipotlane" order ahead model in 2018.  The concept came to metro Atlanta in 2019.  ToNeTo Atlanta has in recent months reported on several upcoming "Chipotlane" restaurants coming to Georgia.  According to Chipotle, "New restaurants featuring a Chipotlane open with approximately 15% higher sales compared to non-Chipotlanes opened during the same period." 

Shake Shack, too, has looked to the drive-thru to expand its business.  The New York-based company brought one of its first "Shack Track" locations to Alpharetta this past year and plans to open more in the years to come.  

Bolay and Sweetgreen opened new drive-thru formats in September and November, respectively.  The restaurants, located in Tampa Bay and the Chicago suburb of Schaumberg, Illinois, are the first for each of the growing quick-serve chains and will likely serve as test sites as they each dive deeper into drive-thru offerings.  

Actor, comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart also got into the plant-based restaurant space.  This past summer Hart opened "Hart House" in Los Angeles and in November added a second location in the LA suburb of Monrovia.  A third location, the chain's first with a drive-thru, is expected to open this year at 6800 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, across the street from where Chick-fil-A opened in 2011.  

The restaurant, which from photos looks like a plant-based Shake Shack, is on the culinary side led by former Burger King culinary chef Michael Salem, who helped introduce the world to the successful Impossible Whopper.  Hart has mentioned Atlanta as one of the markets he has his eye on for expansion of the chain in the coming years.  

This past May, Slutty Vegan received a $25 million investment from restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments and Essence Ventures CEO Richelieu Dennis’ New Voice Fund.  The investment, which values the brand at $100 million, will be used to beef up Slutty Vegan’s C-suite, while also fueling unit growth, Cole said.

Where would you like to see Slutty Vegan open their first drive-thru?  What is your favorite plant-based restaurant?  Is giving up meat part of your new year's resolutions? 

Please share your thoughts below.  

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gross

Anonymous said...

You may think it gross, but you NEVER lose money when you underestimate the taste of the American public.

Anonymous said...

Please open in Buckhead!

Jay Damoli said...

Such a ridiculous name for a business.

Anonymous said...

I refuse to patronize an establishment with such a repulsive, low-brow name. Are you listening Zunzi's? That goes for the name you've given your sauce.

Anonymous said...

Strange business concept that focuses on about 5% of the American public. Lots of unsightly face and nose piercings and tattoos in that place I'm sure.

Anonymous said...

This place is so overrated! The food was okay at best and expensive. Never again.

Anonymous said...

you must be fun at parties

Anonymous said...

@anon (January 3, 2023 at 3:29 AM)
I Can't think of anything less fun than a vegan party.

Anonymous said...

Slutty Vegan: Where virtue-signaling white people pay a premium price for mediocre food to let people on Instagram know they support black-owned businesses and definitely aren't secretly racist at all.

Anonymous said...

I’m actually surprised they would continue to expand after the recent reports that plant based meat companies are no longer doing well.

Anonymous said...

Firstly, you don’t have to be vegan to eat vegan food. Secondly, your judgmental and close-minded comment makes it clear who’s actually unsightly here.

Anonymous said...

hoping this isn't too fast growth

Anonymous said...

Somebody on here has some unsightly nose and face piercings to go along with their unsightly neck beards and tattoos.

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