Pinky Cole Hayes, the restaurateur behind popular plant-based burger restaurant Slutty Vegan, has taken over the Boujee Southerner space in Lawrenceville and reopened it as a second Bar Vegan location.
Tara Gilbert opened the Boujee Southerner at 706 Grayson Highway in November 2022 with a plant-based menu of Southern comfort food. But in March, Gilbert reduced the eatery’s hours, and about a week later she closed the restaurant altogether.
Credit: Courtesy of Bar Vegan
Credit: Courtesy of Bar Vegan
Cole Hayes hadn’t heard of the Boujee Southerner until someone messaged her on social media suggesting she consider taking over the restaurant. She reached out to Gilbert and asked if she could look at it before it was sold, and ended up falling in love with the food.
“Her food was so good,” Cole Hayes said. “She did a tasting with us, and I’m like ‘Oh, I gotta have this food, but I gotta have you with the food.’”
Cole Hayes decided to take over the lease and reopen it as a second location of Bar Vegan, bringing Gilbert on as executive chef. The menu is Bougie Southerner-style food, Cole Hayes said, since Gilbert’s menu was already similar to Bar Vegan’s. Cole Hayes gave Gilbert free rein on developing the menu, but made suggestions on what to tweak.
The menu includes offerings like General Tso Chik’n; white spaghetti with Alfredo sauce, plant-based chicken and vegetables; maple glazed Brussels sprouts; corn ribs; jerk kabobs with grilled oyster mushrooms, pineapple chunks and red bell peppers; and Lemon Pepper Chick’n Salad.
The restaurant features florals, a cocktail bar, live music and art for sale on the walls.
This is Cole Hayes’ second eatery in Gwinnett County; she also owns a Slutty Vegan in Duluth.
Credit: Courtesy of Bar Vegan
Credit: Courtesy of Bar Vegan
Cole Hayes opened her first location of plant-based burger eatery Slutty Vegan Atlanta’s West End location in 2019 after initially launching the concept as a food truck.
The eatery drew lines around the block with suggestively named vegan menu items like the Sloppy Toppy, a plant-based patty with jalapeños, vegan cheese. Cole Hayes has since opened 12 locations in Georgia, New York, Texas and Alabama.
She opened her second concept, Bar Vegan, at Ponce City Market in 2021 with a focus on an “experiential” beverage program with beer, wine and elaborate cocktails served tableside. She plans to open her first Bar Vegan outside of Georgia this fall in Baltimore.
Bar Vegan Lawrenceville is open Wednesday-Sunday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
706 Grayson Highway, Lawrenceville. 470-642-7691, barveganatl.com/locations/lawrenceville-georgia
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