Slutty Vegan and Five More Restaurants Head to Las Vegas for Pepsi Dig In Culinary Residency Program

PEPSI® Dig In, a platform designed to drive access, business growth and awareness for underserved restaurants, is bringing six all new dishes with four new crafted cocktails to Las Vegas for its third annual Restaurant Royalty Residency.

“Las Vegas is a culinary destination where people go to taste the best of the best. It’s an honor to be joining Pepsi Dig In alongside an incredible line-up of talented restaurateurs, and be bringing Slutty Vegan’s iconic burger to Las Vegas for the first time exclusively to MGM Resorts. The real winners here are the foodies who have so many delicious reasons to keep coming back!” says Pinky Cole Hayes

Now through February 2025, MGM Resorts International’s Fan District at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and Luxor Hotel & Casino is now the only place to experience the limited-edition menu items, showcasing concepts from some of the best restaurants from across the country.

Pepsi Dig In Culinary Residency Program is Too Tasty to Miss

This year’s Pepsi Dig In culinary residency kicks off with Slutty Vegan’s widely popular plant-based Fussy Hussy burger, Pinky Cole Hayes’s signature dish that has fans lining up everywhere it debuts.

In addition, foodies can also try Chef Q Bennett’s beloved Bourbon Chicken Lollipops from Q1227 in Roseville, CA, fan-voted and crowned this year’s Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royal.

In May, Pepsi Dig In tasked foodies to submit and vote for their favorite neighborhood restaurant that uplifts and supports the Black community as part of its annual Restaurant Royalty program. As this year’s winning restaurateur, Chef Bennett was awarded a spot in this year’s residency and will gain valuable mentoring from entrepreneur Cole Hayes’s along the way.

“Four years ago, we launched the Pepsi Dig In program to help spotlight and uplift underserved restaurants. Through our partnership with MGM Resorts, the Restaurant Royalty Residency gives diners from around the world the opportunity to experience new, delicious flavors made even better with Pepsi. In its third year, the program gives restaurateurs a coveted spot on the Las Vegas Strip, unparalleled visibility for their business, and brings their incredible dishes in front of a larger audience,” says Scott Finlow, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo Away From Home.

RELATED: PEPSI® and Kelly Rowland Search for Loyal Diners Considered Local Celebrities

This year’s Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency at Mandalay Bay’s Libertine Social and Luxor’s Public House will run from September 21 through February 7, featuring each dish for four weeks.

Diners will be able to select from custom cocktails featuring a variety of Pepsi-Cola® beverages created by master mixologist Tiffanie Barriere such as the PEPSI® Wild Cherry Margarita, STARRY® Shimmering Martini, Smoky PEPSI® Old Fashioned and Bubly Boulevardier, along with delicious dishes from eateries across the country that include:

• Slutty Vegan, CEO and Founder Pinky Cole Hayes (Atlanta, GA) – September 21 – October 18, 2024
  • Slutty Vegan is giving Las Vegas a taste of the crowd-pleaser Fussy Hussy burger, a plant-based patty loaded with pickles, vegan cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato and special sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun.
    
    
• Q1227, Chef Q Bennett (Roseville, CA) – September 21 – October 18, 2024
  • Voted the number one fan-favorite restaurant through Pepsi Dig In’s Restaurant Royalty program, Q1227 is serving its Bourbon Chicken Lollipops, for a mix of spicy and sweet thanks to sriracha and honey. 
    
    
• Taco Mell, Owner Jermelle Henderson (Los Angeles, CA) – October 19 – November 15, 2024
  • Known for putting their own flavorful spin on classic Mexican food dishes, Taco Mell will offer its carne asada steak and chicken quesadilla with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses served with fire-roasted salsa and sour cream.
    
    
• Sienna Wings, Owner and CEO Tyla-Simone Crayton (Missouri City, TX) – November 16 – December 13, 2024
  • The twenty-year-old founder of Sienna Wings is serving up their much-loved flavorful wings with an award-winning sauce, Sienna Sauce Lemon Pepper Wings, for a perfect balance of cracked black pepper and a tangy punch of lemon zest. 
    
    
• NYAM, Chef Brittney “Stikxz” Williams (New York, NY) – December 14, 2024 – January 10, 2025
  • The renowned chef, who specializes in spotlighting the Jamaican diaspora, will offer a duck breast bossam glazed lettuce wrap with a Pepsi tamarind gastrique and orange zest.
    
    
• Vyoone’s, Owner Vyoone Lewis (New Orleans, LA) – January 11 – February 7, 2025
  • Specializing in contemporary French cuisine with an Afro-Creole French fusion twist, Vyoone’s will serve its savory crawfish beignets with crawfish cream sauce.
    
    

Tony Gladney, vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, MGM Resorts International, says, “This partnership and culinary residency with Pepsi Dig In is important to our ongoing commitment to celebrating the diverse talent in the culinary world while delivering our guests a world-class experience.” 

Foodies may also enter to win a chance at their own Las Vegas getaway for two including roundtrip airfare, two-night stay and complimentary dinner to try out one of the exclusive dishes during the Pepsi Dig In culinary residency program.

To enter, fans can post a short video on Instagram describing their own favorite dish that is unique to their hometown and tag @PepsiDigIn, #Sweepstakes and #CityLove. Additional rules will apply.