Less than a month after closing the downtown Atlanta location of his Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks eatery, owner Derrick Hayes has announced a new location less than a mile away.
The restaurant will take over the former Waffle House space at 300 Marietta St. NW this fall. At about 11:30 a.m. on Monday, July 29, two large banners unfurled across the storefront’s windows proclaiming it as Big Dave’s new home.
“I was worried about my employees every day not being able to come back to work,” he said to the crowd gathered in front of the new storefront. “I was worried about my managers not being able to operate; I was worried about the people of Atlanta not being able to have an opportunity to continue to have Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks.”
Hayes announced the closure of his original downtown eatery at 57 Forsyth St. NW on July 13 after a burst water pipe flooded the space in early June. At first, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he was sure he’d reopen soon, but after seeing the repairs required, he decided it was best to move from the location.
When Hayes drove by and saw that Waffle House had vacated the space, he said to himself, “this has to be my location. This is meant for me.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
He didn’t have to wait long for it either; the eatery is set to open in eight to 10 weeks, he said, and it will serve the same menu of beef, salmon and chicken cheesesteaks, egg rolls and fries. This location will also sell beer.
Hayes first started selling his cheesesteaks out of a Shell gas station on Winters Chapel Road in 2014, and gained a large following after Philadelphia rapper Eve raved about his food on social media. He opened his downtown location in 2019 and followed it with a second outpost in Doraville soon thereafter.
The eatery, which is named after his father, now has four locations around Atlanta, including one inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium and one in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Hayes said Marietta Street has plenty of tourists and foot traffic that will give the restaurant “more exposure, more brand notoriety.” The eatery is sandwiched between Twin Smokers BBQ, Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria and Stats Brewpub, and it’s down the street from Atlanta attractions like the College Football Hall of Fame, Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia World Congress Center.
Hayes said the new location will feature neon lights to give it that “Philly vibe” he’s always wanted.
“(I’m) bringing a landmark to the city all over again,” he said.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
He said reopening in downtown Atlanta was important to him.
“It’s showing people that you can keep going,” he said. “You don’t gotta quit when an obstacle gets thrown in your way.”
300 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. bigdavesway.com
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