Bar Vegan closing in Ponce City Market after 4 years

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Bar Vegan is closing in Ponce City Market. (FOX 5)

ATLANTA - Bar Vegan, a tapas and cocktail bar owned by Atlanta restaurateur Pinky Cole, will shut down next week after four years in business at Ponce City Market.

Cole made the announcement on Instagram, saying the bar would be open this weekend for "one last toast."

What they're saying:

"This past month … the decision was made to close the location that created the hookahless blueprint, for there to be similar vegan bars across the country, BarVegan Atlanta," Cole wrote. "Whether you met us coworking with your Laptop during the week or by champagne toast on a Sunday. The Time has come that we must raise our glasses one final time, as we celebrate the unforgettable memories, cherished friendships, and incredible moments we’ve shared at Bar Vegan Atlanta."

Dig deeper:

Earlier this year, Cole said she briefly lost control of her business before reacquiring it through a corporate restructuring process.

"There's going to be a couple of left turns that you're going to make, you're going to make a couple of U-turns. There's going to be some speed bumps in the road," she told People in April. "Somebody’s going to throw a mattress at you — but that is not reason enough to give up." 

The restaurant was the subject of a lawsuit from former employees in 2022, which alleged that the business paid tipped employees $2.13 an hour while requiring them give up 25% of their tips. 

According to Rough Draft Atlanta, Cole and her partners reached a settlement with the employees in 2024, but the settlement reportedly remains unpaid.

A second Bar Vegan location opened in Lawrenceville in 2024. It has since closed.

What's next:

Despite the announcement, Cole hinted that there may be a future for the Bar Vegan brand.

"This chapter may be closing, but the story doesn’t end here," she wrote. "Stay tuned—there’s more coming to Atlanta this summer. Rumor has it… We may just be a part of it."