The founder of Slutty Vegan, Pinky Cole, is once again drawing public attention this time because of criminal charges brought against a former top executive at her now-closed restaurant, Bar Vegan.
Aaron Mattison, who served as chief financial officer of Bar Vegan, has been indicted in Georgia on three criminal charges: 1) theft by taking, 2) first degree forgery and 3) money laundering. Court documents obtained by The Neighborhood Talk allege that Mattison engaged in a pattern of fraudulent financial activity during his time overseeing the restaurant’s finances between 2021 and 2022.
Prosecutors allege that Mattison created unauthorized financial documents that were designed to appear as though they had been officially approved by Bar Vegan’s leadership. Among the most serious accusations is that he initiated an $87,000 wire transfer for his personal benefit a move that prosecutors say was entirely unauthorized.
A pattern of alleged financial misconduct
The indictment goes further, alleging that Mattison also systematically withdrew company funds through a series of $600 transactions that, when combined, exceeded $24,999 in total. Those funds were then allegedly transferred across multiple bank accounts in what investigators believe was a deliberate attempt to launder money and avoid detection.
The specificity of the alleged scheme repeated small withdrawals paired with a large unauthorized wire transfer suggests a calculated effort to move money without triggering financial red flags, according to the court filings.
Bar Vegan’s troubled history
The indictment arrives more than four years after Bar Vegan first found itself at the center of a legal dispute. In July 2022, a former employee identified as Morgan Georgia filed a lawsuit alleging that Cole, Mattison and co-owner Jason Crain had withheld tips and overtime pay from workers and failed to meet federal minimum wage requirements.
The defendants initially denied the allegations but eventually reached a settlement, agreeing to pay $62,172 to the plaintiffs as compensation for unpaid wages. That resolution drew scrutiny at the time and raised broader questions about the internal financial management of the restaurant.
Bar Vegan, which had been located inside Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, has since permanently closed.
Where Pinky Cole stands
Cole has been clear about her position in relation to Bar Vegan’s corporate structure. Through her representative, she has maintained that she holds no personal ownership or financial interest in Bar Vegan LLC. According to her camp, the restaurant was owned under the umbrella of Slutty Vegan Inc., meaning any legal liabilities associated with Bar Vegan fall under that corporate entity rather than Cole personally.
Critically, Cole has not been charged in connection with Mattison’s indictment. She continues in her role as CEO of Slutty Vegan, the plant based restaurant chain that has earned her a devoted national following and a reputation as one of the more recognizable faces in the vegan food movement.
What this means going forward
The legal proceedings against Mattison place an unwelcome spotlight on Cole’s restaurant empire at a time when Slutty Vegan has worked hard to build its brand around community, accessibility and values driven dining. While Cole herself is not accused of wrongdoing in this case, the association is unlikely to go unnoticed by customers and industry observers.
The case also underscores the risks that come with rapid business growth particularly when financial oversight is delegated to senior executives without sufficient checks and balances. For any restaurant brand that markets itself as mission driven, maintaining trust with its audience requires not just a compelling product but airtight accountability behind the scenes.
As Mattison’s case moves through the Georgia court system, the vegan community and Cole‘s loyal fanbase will be paying close attention to how the story continues to unfold.
