It’s not uncommon to have the topic of veganism take the fun out of a conversation. Going plant-based is something that, by 2023, most people know they should be doing, and it’s also something that’s incredibly difficult to accomplish. So talking to a vegan is not unlike talking to someone who’s already aced their physics final when you haven’t started studying yet. You’re just left feeling sort of bad about the whole thing.

Enter Slutty Vegan, the burger chain that pairs something you should be doing with the deliberate imperfection of 1) blasting an offensive word across the front of your building and throughout your marketing campaigns, and 2) reclaiming that same word, normalizing it, and using it to remind society that partner count doesn’t determine a person’s quality or value.
So Slutty Vegan is a restaurant, but it’s also an experience. In fact, the food seems to be sort of unremarkable–not bad, but not amazing either. (Although I will call out the blackberry mayo they serve as the dipping sauce for the fries, that was an excellent pairing.)
I went to the Brooklyn location, but Slutty Vegan has 11 locations around the country. (They started in Atlanta.)
So a visit goes something like this:
Me: Walks in
Her, into the microphone: Heyo we got a slut in the building
Chorus from the kitchen: IN THE BUILDING
Me: Could I get a Fussy Hussy with no onions?
Her, into the microphone: No tears coming back
Her: First time here? Where you from?
Me: Los Angeles
Her, into the microphone: Alright! We got a slut from Los Angeles
Kitchen chorus: HEY SLUT
From what I’d read I sort of knew this was coming, and as someone with social anxiety I felt very afraid, but it turned out to be fun. Social anxiety is the fear of doing something wrong, but the the whole point of Slutty Vegan is that you’re not doing anything wrong, and that no-judgement vibe comes across really well.
After you put in your order, you wait outside to pick it up at the window. I spent the time watching people stepping outside with big sort of “aw shucks” grins on their faces after putting in their orders. It was unusual to stand with a bunch of people waiting for food where no one was acting annoyed at the wait time because they were in such a good mood.
Got the goods! I headed back to Manhattan to have my lunch at Union Square Park.
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