Philly-style sandwich staple is headed to Charlotte

PHOTO | BITES-BEV

Georgia-based Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks is opening its first restaurant outside the Peach State with a store in Charlotte.

A Georgia-based Philly cheesesteak brand is branching out to Charlotte.  

Atlanta-based Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks is opening a 2,100-square foot restaurant at the Town Center Plaza, 8548 University City Blvd. The Charlotte location is the brand’s fifth brick-and-mortar site and the first outside Georgia. Big Dave’s will be open for lunch and dinner and available for counter-service dine-in, patio dining and takeout.  

Big Dave’s CEO is Derrick Hayes, a Philadelphia native.

The brand will also continue its business model of operating food truck pop-ups in Charlotte location leading up to the restaurant’s opening.  “It’s a really big step for us to expand outside of Georgia for the first time,” Hayes said in a statement. “Charlotte is booming right now, and we’re excited and honored that Big Dave’s gets to be a part of the community.”

Big Dave's owner Derrick Hayes.

Big Dave’s menu includes west Philly-inspired beef, chicken and salmon cheesesteaks along with loaded fries along with salads.

Hayes’s journey to entrepreneurship when he leased a 700-square foot space in a Dunwoody, Ga., gas station as his first sandwich shop and named it after his late father. The shop struggled with slow foot traffic until the rapper/actor Eve – a Philadelphia native – happened upon the restaurant and posted a photo on social media.  

In 2022, Big Dave’s broke into retail with the online launch of Big Dave’s All Purpose Spice – a seasoning salt with a tinge of sweetness.  

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