Derrick Hayes, the West Philadelphia native and founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks has been a serial entrepreneur even as a child, so his success on the multimillion-dollar chain is not much of a shock, writes Emma Burleigh for Fortune.
As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, Hayes sold bean pies, newspapers, shoveled snow, and juggled several side hustles before eventually gaining at 9-to-5 in the postal service.
In 2014, he opened his first Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks location in Dunwoody, Georgia, following his passion after his ailing father wished he start his own business.
Fast forward more than a decade later and there are now 12 locations across the United States, including four new ones that opened its doors this year alone.
“As I’ve been able to be an entrepreneur and [in] growing this business, I learned that my gift is not even making the money. My gift is actually giving people opportunity,” said Hayes. “I’m able to lift people through my dream. I’ve got 400 employees right now, and everybody has an opportunity to be able to spread their wings inside of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks.”
He credits his success to years of hard work and incremental wins throughout.
Read more about Derrick Hayes and the growing success of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks in Fortune.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in September 2025.
