Jon Ossoff—a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in Georgia—visited popular Atlanta restaurant Slutty Vegan to sample its plant-based burgers. “We’ve got Jon Jon in the building,” one Slutty Vegan employee exclaimed as the 33-year-old politician picked up his order and thanked the employee before elbow bumping her.
Ossoff’s visit drew criticism from his Republican opponent David Perdue who took to Twitter to post a photo of himself and wife Bonnie in front of a bacon-laden breakfast at chain Waffle House. “Ossoff can have the plant burger, we’ll take the all-star special,” the 70-year-old Republican tweeted. “Pick your side, Georgia.” Slutty Vegan responded to Perdue’s post on Facebook, stating, “Anybody got [an] umbrella for this shaaaaaadddddeeee [stet].”
Entrepreneur and social justice advocate Pinky Cole founded Slutty Vegan as a food truck in 2018 and has since expanded the vegan business to an empire comprised of several brick-and-mortar locations, with upcoming outposts outside of Georgia and a new Bar Vegan concept set to open in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market in 2021. During the 2020 Presidential election, Slutty Vegan partnered with music legend Jermaine Dupri on a nationwide campaign to help Americans register to vote.
Georgians will cast their votes on January 5 in the critical runoff race to determine if Ossoff or Perdue will win the Senate seat.
