Derrick Hayes, CEO and founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, is continuing to expand his award-winning cheesesteak empire, this time to Lawrenceville, Georgia, with a location set to open this summer. Located within Lawrenceville Marketplace, the 1,500-square-foot outpost will serve as the brand’s fourth Atlanta-area location in addition to stores in downtown Atlanta, Doraville, Georgia, and a forthcoming Jonesboro Road location set to open this spring.
Anchored by the cheesesteaks that started it all, the menu will offer a counter-service selection of beef, chicken, and salmon cheesesteaks—each masterfully flavor-bombed with an overflow of melt-in-your-mouth toppings and sandwiched between a traditional Amoroso roll—Philly fries smothered with favorite cheesesteak fixings, hand-rolled egg rolls, a selection of Philly-inspired salads, and other melty, larger-than-life flavors for all to enjoy. Ranked as one of the “Top 10 Best Sandwiches” in the world by World Food Champions, the Lawrenceville outpost will be open for lunch and dinner and available for counter-service dine
“Our goal has always been to keep expanding the Big Dave’s brand, and here we are announcing our fourth location in Georgia,” Hayes says. “We’re committed to serving superior quality, customer service and our favorite West Philly tastes to more and more neighborhoods and can’t wait to open our doors for you. Lawrenceville, here we come!”
Regularly generating lines around the block, Big Dave’s is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the Southeast. With current locations in downtown Atlanta, neighboring Doraville, Georgia, and the upcoming Jonesboro Road, the Lawrenceville restaurant will be located in the bustling Lawrenceville Market Place right next to Target. The location will mark the brand’s fourth brick-and-mortar in addition to a food truck and multiple units within the city’s famed Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
A West Philadelphia native, restaurateur and philanthropist, founder Derrick Hayes understands the value of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. After falling into trouble with the law as a young man, Derrick found himself granted with an unexpected second chance and vowed to dedicate his time to giving back to his community while building a business to bring Atlanta a taste of his Philly roots. Soon after, Big Dave’s was born.
In 2022, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks expanded its empire with the launch of the brand’s new product venture, Big Dave’s All Purpose Spice—a smoky seasoning salt with a hint of sweetness. Available exclusively at all Big Dave’s locations and via the company’s online store for nationwide shipping, the recipe is thoughtfully blended to universally enhance dishes like burgers, chicken, ribs, steaks, vegetables, fish, and more.
As an extension of the brand’s community commitment, Derrick established the David & Derrick Hayes Foundation—a foundation honoring his father in support of early detection and cancer research, the David & Derrick Hayes College Fund that provides quarterly funding to deserving students with a 3.0 GPA or higher, and Square 1: The Life Experience—a program Derrick founded with his fiancé Pinky Cole (founder of the wildly successful Slutty Vegan) with an initiative to provide 25,000 Black men across the nation with full access and awareness to life insurance to support their health and generate generational wealth within the black community.
A self-made entrepreneur, restaurateur, and philanthropist, Derrick has been nationally recognized by Forbes, Good Morning America, Black Enterprise, RevoltTV, People magazine, Red Table Talk and many more. In 2021, he was named to the Forbes Next 1000 list, and even graced the cover of Essence magazine.
