FSR December 2022

L IQUID INTELL IGENCE

I’ve never been to a vegan bar before,’” Cole says. “ e experience was always at the forefront of the idea … and that expe rience is the vibe, the music, the food— because food is also an experience. We wanted to make sure people could let their hair down and relax.” Andwhile the atmospheremay be laid back, it is also brimming with energy— both from the funky decor (neon signs, velvet chairs, a stained glass bar back splash, etc.) and its location within the lively Ponce City Market. True to Cole’s original vision, the menu features indul gent bar foods (think: fries, tacos, pizza, and barbecue chicken sliders) but with an elevated, plant-based twist. As for beverages, refreshing classics

like margaritas and mules share real estate with signature cocktails, includ ing nonalcoholic options. Ironical ly enough, wine, not mixed drinks, is the top-seller, something Cole attributes to the young professionals Ponce City Mar ket tends to attract. Like Weathers, Cole says a bar con cept can boost profits because it appeals not to a different clientele so much as a different going-out occasion. She’s also seeing more blurring between what con stitutes a restaurant and what consti tutes a bar, since both categories are stepping up their game. “I think they’re now starting to go hand in hand, even if it’s not a full-on bar. I’m seeing restaurants that have a

bar aesthetic to them,” she says. “A bar can really bring in a different kind of rev enue that you typically won’t see just in the restaurant space.” Bar Vegan doesn’t directly name itself as the sister concept to Slutty Vegan, though Cole’s growing reputationmeans many customers know the two proper ties are linked. “You won’t see anything about Slutty Vegan on Bar Vegan’s [web] page, and you won’t see anything about Bar Vegan on Slutty Vegan’s page because I want them to live separately and have their own identity,” she says. “However, you know who owns both of them, and you know the quality of one is going to be as good as the quality of the other one.”

RECOGNIZING A LACK OF VEGAN FRIENDLY WATERING HOLES, PINKY COLE CREATED HER OWN BAR CONCEPT.

PINKY COLE

BAR VEGAN (2) / DREA NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

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FSRMAGAZINE .COM

DECEMBER 2022