Community, family, love — those are the three words Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO Derrick Hayes wants people to think of when they hear his name. Yes, he’s the founder of a multi-million-dollar brand, but he’s so much more than a successful businessman, he says.
“[I went from] not knowing entrepreneurship to being a top entrepreneur in the country,” Hayes says in an interview with AFROTECH™ — and his journey supports that.
The Rise Of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks
A Philadelphia native who became an Atlanta transplant, Hayes opened his first Big Dave’s — originally called Dave’s Philly Water Ice — in 2014 inside a gas station in Dunwoody, GA. While he always dreamed of success, he says his greatest motivation came from a promise he made to his late father, Derrick Hayes Sr.
“I just wanted to make him proud and honor something to him,” Hayes said. “So when I eventually built Big Dave’s, it was more so to prove to him that I can stand on my 10 toes and the words that I promised him. And then when I found my purpose through that, I started to translate [it] into a real operation.”
Today, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks spans four states and counting, with locations that include Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the Kia Center in Orlando, FL.
“I think the goal was always to be successful, but once you start going on a part of your journey and going through the rollercoaster rides and all those things, I think that’s when you find your true self and a purpose of what you’re doing,” Hayes said. “So I think over time, I was able to not only dedicate this to my father but also realize [that] what I’m building is bigger than me and it was going to be culturally relevant all around the globe. And I think that’s what transformed it to be what it is today.”
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When it comes to staying innovative in an ever-evolving restaurant industry, Hayes says he stays hungry — figuratively. He’s driven by something to prove, not to anyone else, but to himself.
“I want to continue to be able to strive even when I’m tired, even when times get hard and I’m trying to figure out new levels because every level you get to, you’re going to get tested because it’s a level you’ve never been at before in your career,” Hayes said. “And for me, it’s fun because I wake up in the morning, I get to do different things. I get to chase reality, make it a dream.”
He says the journey is even more meaningful because he gets to share it with his wife, Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, his children, and his 93-year-old grandmother by his side.
“I mean, what’s better than that?” he added. “To see the people that you brung in the world to actually see you growing something that’s going to be beyond you when you’re dead and gone. And I think that’s what means the most to me.”
Leaders Who Inspire
On Sept. 12, 2025, Hayes joined a roundtable discussion with media mogul Tyler Perry, gospel artist Kirk Franklin, and rapper Jeezy, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. It was an experience he describes as both humbling and intentional.
“To sit at that table on my birthday, it was no mistake,” Hayes shared in his interview with AFROTECH™. “But I didn’t sit at that table to know it all. I sat at that table to be the student because those guys were the ones that made it to a level that I’m trying to get to.”
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Building a successful business doesn’t come without challenges. Some of the biggest lessons Hayes has learned include being mindful of who you trust, controlling your intelligence while staying open to learning, and keeping your operations tight. For young entrepreneurs following in his footsteps, he says to find what makes you happy even if it doesn’t immediately make money. Find a mentor who will guide you every step of the way, pace yourself instead of rushing, and most importantly, don’t let past trauma convince you everyone is out to get you.
“Things that you’ve been through in life, it’s hard to shake when you got something special and everybody wants it, but it’s not everybody out to get you,” Hayes said. “And sometimes your gut has to be that data because we are so computer-driven and tech-driven now that we forgot that the human body tells you what’s right or wrong. If you just really [look] inside yourself, you’ll know what’s right for you and what’s wrong for you.”
There will always be losses, but in entrepreneurship, Hayes believes failure is the beautiful side of the win. It’s why his business strategy includes showing the good, the bad, and the ugly on social media.
“The reason why I show people that [is] because I know it’s another entrepreneur out there that’s about to give up and they’re looking at me, saying, ‘Wait, if he didn’t give up and he got all this going on, I’m not going to give up,’” Hayes said. “So that’s why I make everything public. I build out loud on purpose.”
He adds that many people avoid transparency because they fear the world seeing them fail. “But what’s really failure? Failure is really a win because if you look at it, things you can’t get in life, you’re going to work harder to get the things you want. If you get it all now, you won’t know how to get it later.”
Derrick Hayes’ Legacy
When it comes to Big Dave’s impact on the broader landscape of Black-owned businesses, Hayes notes a stark statistic: Only about 8% of franchise owners are African American — a number he’s determined to help raise. And the Census Bureau says it’s closer to 3%, according to Third Way.
“I know I’m a weapon because I’m going to make multiple lower-income communities believe they could do it too,” he said.
As for his legacy, Hayes sums it up in one word: relentless. He doesn’t want to be remembered simply as a man who made money, but as someone who used his success to invest in communities and open doors for those who came after him — noting that philanthropy means just as much to him as the business itself.
“I want to be remembered as the guy who was just kind of like the octopus that will lend a helping hand to somebody,” Hayes told AFROTECH™. “And I think sometimes I’m hard on myself because the things that I want to see fit don’t happen that way all the time. But I know if I keep working at my legacy and the things that I want to see out of it, I know that will happen. And I know at the end of it all, I would be proud of everything I’ve done if God allowed me to see the things through.”
