Derrick Hayes Uplifts His Community With Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks

Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks has had massive success in bringing a taste of Philly down south, but founder and CEO Derrick Hayes remains hungry as ever and is grateful for the journey the restaurant has taken him on. As the go-to cheesesteak spot nears its 7th anniversary, they’ve cemented themselves as a staple of the Downtown Atlanta dining scene and, more importantly, a vital contributor to their community.

The 33-year-old Philadelphian entrepreneur opened Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks as a small restaurant attached to a Shell gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia, and has since grown the company into a sandwich powerhouse. They’ve opened a booming location in Downtown Atlanta and recently held their grand opening of their Doraville, Georgia location. With over 350 franchise requests, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks is en route to serving delicious sandwiches nationwide.

It comes as no surprise that their cheesesteak recipe ranked in the top 10 in the Best Sandwich category at the 2018 World Food Championships. On top of their classic cheesesteak recipes, they’ve developed the famous Dave’s Way Cheesesteaks, an ingenious creation that has set them apart from competitors. In addition to sandwiches, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks specializes in other authentic Philadelphian dishes including egg rolls, Philly fries, and water ice.

Now being in the position to give back, Derrick Hayes prioritizes uplifting the community in any way he can. Along with the efforts of his staff, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks has been able to donate $26,000 to black-owned businesses, give out 1,000 free meals, and feed frontline healthcare workers at 40 hospitals in the Atlanta metropolitan area during the global pandemic. They’ve also prided themselves in actively participating in the Black Lives Matter movement, recently partnering with Pinky Cole’s Slutty Vegan restaurant to gift the family of the recent Rayshard Brooks with a brand new car, life insurance, and scholarships to Clark Atlanta University.

Bleu: What’s the story behind the name Big Dave’s?

Derrick Hayes: Big Dave’s came from my father. He passed away from lung cancer, so I wanted to create something in honor of him. Big Dave’s makes me feel like he’s alive again; when people scream Big Dave’s name it means a lot to me because I know it’s honoring him.

When I moved to Atlanta I saw an open market. I needed to bring something real to the south-something authentic and straight out of my city. I grew up on cheesesteaks, water ice, pretzels, egg rolls; all the things I have at my restaurant now. That’s what motivated me to open Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. 

Honestly, it made us level up and help the community. The community has always supported me and had my back, so being able to support and help people who needed it during this time has been a blessing. It created a sense of unity. Everyone is going through so much and it’s affecting us all. But, lines are still down the block for my business. I thank God every day for that.  

You gotta have thick skin or this world will eat you alive being a Black man. I embrace all positivity and know that I am a king but I also tell my young fellow Black men that they are kings, and we’re going to move as kings. I just want to move forward and make a change. It’s all about a helping hand, no matter what race you are.  It’s about everybody seeing each other as equal human beings so we can move forward because the world is going to fall apart if we don’t.

It was amazing seeing the community stand behind me, you know, throughout the cause. For one, George Floyd had just lost his life in an unfortunate situation, but to see the community stand behind me after my windows got broken out; Russ donated $20,000, Schoolboy Q donated $10,000, and then there were Gofundme pages. I think we raised over $26,000. What I decided to do though, was to give the money that was raised, to Black-owned businesses that were going through the effects of COVID-19 or may have had their properties vandalized through the riots. I also feel like by my windows being broken out, I was able to link up with Pinky Cole from Slutty Vegan to help Rashaad Brooks’ family. We’re working on more things for the community right now. So, everything happens for a reason. God doesn’t make any mistakes. I’m going to keep pushing for the people.

For me sometimes it’s surreal because I put blood sweat and tears into this company. Coming from the streets, I didn’t know anything about business, I just wanted to be successful; I just wanted to make my father proud. I had two kids throughout the journey, two beautiful little girls that I bust my tail for every day, and that is my motivation to keep on moving forward. Throughout this time, I had to be the cashier, I had to be the cook, I had to be the promoter, I had to be anything I had to be to keep making this business move forward. So, me moving into my 7th year, going through what I’ve been through to get here, it’s a true blessing. You know, people look at me and say ‘Man, you made it’, almost in disbelief but I always knew I was going to get here, and I’m saying this most humbly. When you have a vision, and you stay focused on the vision, and you know what you want out of life, nothing will distract you from that vision. There’s nothing right now that would distract me from moving my company, and moving forward because that’s how I’m building to take care of my family and to be able to spread the generational wealth for my children, and their children. 

Images courtesy of Taylor Brooks of EverythingTaylored Pr