A Second Location of Downtown Atlanta’s Popular Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks Opens in Doraville

Derrick Hayes, the man behind the line-inducing Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks in downtown Atlanta, opens his second Atlanta-area restaurant on Saturday, November 14, in Doraville. A grand opening takes place Saturday afternoon from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the new Peachtree Pavilion Shopping Center restaurant.

Big Dave’s is known for its Philly-style cheesesteaks and cheesesteak egg rolls stuffed with beef, salmon, or chicken. The Doraville restaurant also serves beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.

A west Philadelphia native, Hayes first opened Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks four years ago on Winters Chapel Road inside a Shell gas station. The restaurant quickly became a hit and moved to a larger location on Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta last year. Earlier this fall, Hayes added a food truck to the mix, serving Big Dave’s super popular egg rolls.

Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks

“I am excited to come back to the area where it all started, having my first location 6-years ago in a Dunwoody Shell gas station near our newest Doraville location, it feels like home,” Hayes says in the press release. Hayes plans to continue to expand his cheesesteak restaurant empire and claims to have more than 300 franchise requests for Big Dave’s restaurants to open across the country.

In June, Hayes, along with Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, helped purchase a car for Tomika Miller, the widow of Rayshard Brooks. The pair will provide life insurance policies and scholarships for his four children to attend Cole’s alma mater, Clark Atlanta University. Brooks was shot and killed by Atlanta police office Garrett Rolfe in a Wendy’s parking lot off of University Avenue on the evening of June 12.

Order online for takeout. Due to safety concerns, Big Dave’s will remain cashless and takeout only during the pandemic. Open daily 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Masks required.

6035 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. thebigdavescheesesteaks.com.

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