Brand Shoutouts
Ranked #6 on Fast Casual's 2025 Top 100 Movers and Shakers. Stadium deals at Mercedes-Benz and Kia Center. A 700-square-foot gas station origin, a halal white space, and operator requirements that filter out most buyers. 28 sources. Zero spin.
By Justin K. Sellers · 16 min read · April 1, 2026
A cheesesteak franchise born in a 700-square-foot gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia, is now ranked #6 on Fast Casual's 2025 Top 100 Movers and Shakers list — the first majority Black-owned brand to reach that position. Big Dave's Cheesesteaks operates 13 locations and a food truck across the Southeast. One affiliate location generated $1.8 million in net sales in a single year. The brand's 2024 FDD cites $1.5 million AUV across affiliate-owned locations.
The cheesesteak category is crowded. So what exactly is Big Dave's selling — and is the franchise investment as compelling as the story? This is the full picture: the numbers, the reviews, the gaps, and the questions you should be asking at discovery day.
[FAQ_SECTION]
Derrick Hayes grew up in West Philadelphia selling bean pies and newspapers, shoveling driveways, and later working for the United States Postal Service. When his father, David Hayes, was diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn't get into Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, he traveled to Emory University's facility in Atlanta for treatment. Derrick quit his postal service job to be at his father's side.
Before David Hayes died, he made his son promise something.
"I don't want you to work like I did my whole life and have nothing to show for it."
Five years after that hospital room, Big Dave's Cheesesteaks opened in a Shell gas station at 5020 Winters Chapel Road in Atlanta. It was originally called Dave's Philly Water Ice — Italian ice, not sandwiches. Nobody came. Hayes pivoted to cheesesteaks. Still quiet. Then Philadelphia-born rapper and actress Eve stopped by in 2016 while filming in Atlanta. She took a bite. She went on social media.
"Eve went on every social media outlet she had and said that the real deal cheesesteak is in the South, he's from Philly and y'all make sure you support this brother. The next day I had a line out the door."
That single celebrity endorsement didn't build Big Dave's. Hayes did — by showing up every day, surviving a pandemic-era closure, a damaged storefront during 2020 civil unrest, and a period where his first year generated less than $100,000 in sales. Hayes's personal story is inseparable from the brand. In our view, this is a double-edged sword: the narrative drives franchisee recruitment and customer loyalty, but it also means the brand's identity is highly dependent on one person's continued public presence.
In 2021, Hayes was named to the Forbes Next 1000 list. In 2022, he graced the cover of Essence Magazine. In 2023, Black Enterprise named him to its 40 Under 40 list. He has been featured on Good Morning America and Red Table Talk, and in 2026 was recognized on the Atelier 100 Most Influential People list.
The Family Connection. Hayes married Pinky Cole, founder of Slutty Vegan, in June 2020 — the two met when Cole reached out to help with Big Dave's repairs during the pandemic. Cole's accelerated franchise scaling has directly influenced Hayes's approach. "She went out of the state before I did. She was able to scale faster than me in the beginning, and I was able to study her," Hayes has said. The Foundation. Hayes runs The David and Derrick Hayes Foundation, focused on early cancer detection research, and the David & Derrick Hayes College Fund, which provides quarterly funding to students with a 3.0 GPA or higher.Big Dave's is built around a focused fast-casual menu anchored by one format: the Philly cheesesteak, done in multiple proteins.
The Dave's Way is the signature — beef, chicken, or salmon cheesesteak with fried onions, fried mushrooms, American cheese, provolone, and cheese whiz, named directly for Hayes's late father. The Protein Lineup includes halal beef, halal chicken, and wild-caught salmon as primary cheesesteak options. The halal designation matters. Big Dave's is specifically positioned as a halal brand, which gives it differentiated access in Muslim-majority communities — a market few cheesesteak concepts have actively pursued. Hayes has explicitly referenced Middle East expansion as a future possibility. The Cheesesteak Egg Rolls have emerged as a breakout item. These hand-rolled appetizers — available in beef, chicken, and salmon — appear in nearly every positive customer review and are consistently mentioned by franchisees as a traffic driver. The Roll. Big Dave's uses Amoroso rolls, the authentic Philadelphia bakery product that is central to any serious cheesesteak credential. The roll signals authenticity before the first bite for anyone who grew up eating cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. The 18-Inch. Big Dave's offers an 18-inch cheesesteak at select locations — a shareable item with strong social media appeal. Partnerships. Philly Pretzel Factory, the world's largest pretzel franchise, partnered with Big Dave's to provide freshly baked, hand-twisted soft pretzels at Big Dave's locations. In our view, this is a smart extension — it deepens the Philly authenticity narrative and adds a low-cost incremental revenue item without requiring kitchen equipment changes. No Menu Creep. The menu is intentionally tight. For an emerging franchise, this is the correct decision. Tight menus reduce training complexity, lower food cost variance, and enable quality consistency across operators with varying experience levels.The U.S. cheesesteak segment is a sub-category within the $331 billion fast-casual market. Big Dave's is competing against Jersey Mike's (the dominant national player in the sub sandwich-adjacent category), regional specialists, and a long tail of independent operations. What differentiates Big Dave's: halal protein options, a celebrity-driven origin story with strong Black cultural resonance, and stadium placement deals that serve as high-visibility brand billboards.
The halal fast-casual market is a meaningful white space. Big Dave's halal positioning gives it genuine differentiated access in markets where traditional QSR concepts have limited reach. This is not marketing language — it's a real addressable market that competitors aren't systematically pursuing.
Big Dave's launched franchising officially in August 2023. As of early 2026, the brand operates 13 locations and a food truck across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.
The Corporate Foundation. The original affiliate locations are in downtown Atlanta (flagship), Doraville, Forest Park, and Lawrenceville, Georgia, plus multiple food stands inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The brand also holds a multi-year agreement for a permanent location in Section 107 of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Note on Doraville. The Doraville location is currently listed as closed on Yelp as of December 2025. QSR Research Hub was unable to confirm the current operating status from publicly available sources. Prospective franchisees should ask about the Doraville situation directly at discovery day — the circumstances are not publicly documented. Stadium Expansion. Big Dave's announced a partnership with the NBA's Orlando Magic, securing placement at Kia Center. Combined with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the brand now has stadium presence across both NFL and NBA venues. In our view, these stadium deals provide two things franchisees rarely discuss: proven high-volume throughput validation, and media exposure at millions of attendees per year at zero franchisee cost. The First Franchisee. Derek Lewis, former president of PepsiCo's multicultural business and equity development initiative, signed a 10-unit deal for Central Florida in January 2024. Lewis's market encompasses Lake, Brevard, Volusia, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. The Oviedo location at 441 E Mitchell Hammock Road was the first of those 10 units. South Carolina. Marc and Kiera Brown, along with Frank and Courtney Williams, signed a five-location deal for South Carolina. Their first location opened in Columbia's Five Points District at 942-B Harden Street in spring 2025. The second South Carolina location in Greenville at 1224 Woodruff Road broke ground in August 2025 — described as the brand's fifth opening of that year. Charlotte. Big Dave's opened its first out-of-state corporate location in Charlotte at 8552 University City Boulevard.In our view, the franchise/corporate split tells an important story: the brand is building with established, credentialed operators — a former PepsiCo global president, a South Carolina multi-unit team that brought state officials to their ribbon-cutting — rather than signing any buyer who can write a check. Hayes has been explicit about this. At Discovery Day, he asks every prospective operator: "What can you bring to the table other than your bank account?" That filter is rare. And it matters for system quality.
The 100-Location Goal. Hayes publicly stated a goal of 100 franchise locations by end of 2025. The system is currently at 13 total locations, including corporate units. That target was not met on the original timeline. This is not unusual for emerging brands — almost no emerging franchise meets its first ambitious public target — but prospective franchisees should ask what the revised timeline looks like and how the support infrastructure scales with new units.- Initial Franchise Fee: $40,000 - Total Investment Range: $678,300–$1,148,900
The brand requires development of a minimum of 3 units per territory. The multi-unit development fee is structured as $40,000 for the first franchise, $35,000 for the second, and $25,000 for the third and each additional unit.
Financial Requirements to Qualify- Liquid capital: $500,000 minimum - Net worth: $1,000,000 minimum
Ongoing Fee Structure- Royalty: 6% of net sales - Brand fund contribution: 2% of net sales - Local store marketing: 1% of net sales - Total ongoing fee burden: 9% of net sales
9% combined ongoing fee load is within the standard fast-casual range. For comparison, the cheesesteak category doesn't have a dominant national franchisor with published FDD data for direct comparison — Jersey Mike's operates a materially different sub sandwich format.
AUV and Revenue Data (FDD Item 19)The brand's franchise website cites $1.5 million AUV across affiliate-owned locations, $1.8 million in sales at one location in a single year, and $1.6 million in the first eight months for a new location.
The 2023 FDD disclosed: one affiliate location generated $3,555,129 in net sales over 18 months; the second affiliate generated $2,044,918 over the same period. Annualizing: affiliate #1 ran approximately $2.37M/year; affiliate #2 ran approximately $1.36M/year.
Critical Disclosure. These are affiliate-owned (corporate) locations, not franchised locations. There are no publicly available Item 19 disclosures for franchised units yet — the franchise program is less than two years old and does not have sufficient franchisee operating history to report. This is a standard limitation for emerging brands, not a red flag, but prospective franchisees must understand they are evaluating potential based on corporate performance, not proven franchisee results. Payback EstimateQSR Research Hub analysis. Inputs from 2024 FDD Item 7 investment range and FDD Item 19 affiliate AUV data. This estimate applies to affiliate-owned location performance; franchised unit AUV data is not yet publicly available.
Using the brand's cited $1.5M AUV and the standard fast-casual net margin range of 10–15%:
- Estimated net profit at 10% margin: $150,000/year - Estimated net profit at 15% margin: $225,000/year
Payback scenarios:
- Best case: $678,300 ÷ $225,000 = 3.0 years - Midpoint: $913,600 ÷ $187,500 = 4.9 years - Worst case: $1,148,900 ÷ $150,000 = 7.7 years
The brand itself cites 20% net profit after operating costs, expenses, and franchise fees on its franchise page. If that figure is accurate and supported in the current FDD Item 19, the payback improves materially:
- In our analysis, at 20% margin on $1.5M AUV: $300,000/year - Best case at 20%: $678,300 ÷ $300,000 = 2.3 years - Worst case at 20%: $1,148,900 ÷ $300,000 = 3.8 years
Industry context: Franchise Business Review data indicates typical fast-casual payback runs 4–7 years. A 2.3–3.8 year payback at the 20% margin figure would be a best-in-class outcome. Prospective franchisees should specifically request Item 19 support for the 20% net profit claim in the current FDD and ask whether any franchised units have reached profitability at that level.
The cheesesteak egg rolls are a consistent crowd-pleaser. Customers at the newest locations — Orlando, Oviedo, Charlotte, and Columbia — repeatedly call out the egg rolls as a standout item.
"I'm visiting from Illinois for a few days and I was ordering Doordash and came across this place. I'm so happy that I did. I've ordered twice in 3 days. It's so good! I had the regular beef, first with onions and the second time without and cheese fries both times."
"The only place I found a better one was Philadelphia itself."
"We stopped in early today to avoid any lines. This was our first experience at any Big Daves. Everyone was friendly and attentive, the beef egg rolls definitely a must try."
"Nice clean entrance and friendly welcome from all the staff. The price was higher than I expected but the quality of the food made it well worth it. After a recent visit to Philadelphia, the cheesesteak is on spot for the taste. I'll definitely visit again."
The positive pattern is clear: food quality earns repeat customers, the egg rolls build loyalty beyond the core product, and new location openings have generated genuine enthusiasm in every market entered.
THE CHALLENGINGThe challenges cluster around three consistent themes: wait times, price-to-value perception, and seasoning consistency.
Wait times. Long lines appear in reviews across multiple locations. "Long wait...but worth it" is essentially the standard Atlanta review template. At Charlotte, a reviewer noted "the lines were extremely long so be prepared to wait." Wait times are a double-edged signal: they indicate demand, but they also indicate operational throughput constraints that will need to be solved at scale. Pricing. Multiple reviews from the Orlando area reference sticker shock. "I spent $70+ for two people... never going back." The brand's cheesesteaks run from approximately $11.99 for a basic sandwich to $46.99 for specialty options. At those price points, the competition from Jersey Mike's and fast-casual alternatives is real. Seasoning consistency. Reviewers from Philadelphia — the population with the sharpest cheesesteak reference point — are vocal critics. "I was born and raised in West Philly/49th Hazel ave. Im proud of the boul Dave but this cheesesteak wasn't good." One TripAdvisor reviewer noted: "No matter how many times I have instructed them not to put that salty seasoning on my sandwiches, THEY DO IT ANYWAY!!!" Order fulfillment. One Orlando reviewer documented a pickup order mix-up — their order was allegedly picked up by someone else, followed by a staff member disputing the customer's account of the incident. This is an isolated incident, but it reflects the operational risk of digital ordering integration at new locations. Pattern: The seasoning criticism from Philly-born customers deserves serious attention at the franchise level. Big Dave's core credibility claim is authenticity. If the people with the highest authenticity reference point are consistently critical, that's a training and quality control conversation the brand needs to have explicitly at discovery day.Big Dave's has secured two anchor supply partnerships with direct Philly authenticity credentials: Amoroso Baking Company and Philadelphia's Best Steak. Both are named Philadelphia-area producers. The Amoroso roll is the single most cited authenticity signal in positive customer reviews.
In July 2025, Hayes posted on LinkedIn: "Halal beef and chicken deal locked in. Officially locked in with Amoroso Baking and Philly's Best Steak." This signals these were recently formalized or expanded arrangements. For franchisees, supply chain clarity matters: a locked halal protein supplier and a specific roll source reduce two of the largest quality consistency risks in cheesesteak franchising.
Indeed data indicates Big Dave's hourly pay ranges from approximately $9.00/hour for custodial staff to $31.07/hour for food service workers, with general manager salaries around $63,316/year.
Employee reviews on Indeed are limited in number — four reviews as of this writing — but broadly positive. One employee wrote: "The leadership and family environment in the work place is unmatched. Its rare you find a company that treats its employees as well as Big Dave's Cheesesteaks!"
One dissenting review flagged management as "over pressured, distant, not there for you" and unable to "answer simple questions of operations." With only four reviews, no statistical conclusions are possible. The thin employee review data reflects a company still small enough that public employer review platforms haven't built sample size. This will change quickly as franchise locations open.
Big Dave's requires development of a minimum of 3 units in a protected territory. Location sizing for franchise units: Derek Lewis's Florida locations are being built between 1,500 and 2,300 square feet, designed for grab-and-go traffic with some destination diner seating. The Columbia, South Carolina location is 1,600 square feet in a neighborhood strip center.
The brand's current expansion priority is the Southeast, with Northeast expansion to follow. International expansion — specifically the Middle East, given the brand's halal positioning — is a stated future ambition.
1. The operator filter is serious. Hayes has consistently signed credentialed, capitalized operators: a former PepsiCo global president, a multi-unit South Carolina team that brought state legislators to their opening. Most emerging franchises take whoever can write the check. Big Dave's hasn't. 2. The supply chain is structured for authenticity. Locked Amoroso rolls and a named halal protein supplier are not incidental details. They are the operational backbone of the brand's core promise — secured before scaling, which is the right sequence. 3. Stadium presence is underrated leverage. Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Kia Center are not vanity deals. They are high-volume proof-of-concept locations that validate throughput capability and deliver brand exposure to millions of attendees per year at zero franchisee cost. 4. Halal positioning is a real white space. 100% of current Big Dave's franchise owners identify as Black or BIPOC. The brand has an authentic community relationship that a competing concept cannot replicate. That community connection, combined with halal protein availability, creates addressable demand in markets most franchisors never target. 5. The advisory hire signals seriousness. Bringing in Suhel Ahmed in July 2025 — a multi-brand franchisee with operating history at Dunkin', Dave's Hot Chicken, and Little Caesars — as strategic adviser signals Hayes understands the difference between building restaurants and building a franchise system. This is one of the most significant infrastructure decisions the brand has made since franchising launched.
What They Need to Nail As They ScaleThe franchised unit economics need to be published. The brand has corporate location AUV data. The first franchise locations are operating. The next FDD cycle should include franchisee Item 19 disclosures. Until that data exists, every prospective franchisee is making a bet without a scorecard.
The 100-location target gap needs a straight answer. Hayes publicly targeted 100 franchise locations by end of 2025. The brand is at 13 total locations. The gap isn't a failure — emerging brands reset timelines constantly — but the franchise development team should be able to give prospective operators an honest revised roadmap, not a rebranded original promise.
Seasoning consistency is a training problem, not a recipe problem. The complaints from Philly-born customers about oversalting are too consistent across too many locations to be anomalous. This is a training standards execution issue that needs a documented fix at the franchisee level.
Digital ordering integration has room to mature. The Orlando pickup order dispute reflects what happens when tech moves faster than operational procedure. A clear policy for third-party order disputes needs to be in every franchisee operations manual.
The Doraville closure needs transparency. One of the original Atlanta affiliate locations appears closed. The circumstances are not publicly documented. Prospective franchisees deserve a clear explanation.
If none exist with 12 months of operating history yet, that's the honest answer — and it tells you exactly where you are in the brand's development timeline.
No public statements from Big Dave's leadership on franchisee failure rates, territory dispute resolution, or the Doraville closure were available at time of publication. Prospective franchisees should specifically ask about these topics at discovery day.
Experienced multi-unit operators with community ties. The brand's existing franchisees have both capital credibility and community credibility. If you have operated multiple QSR units, have strong local relationships in a Southeast market, and have $500,000 liquid, you are the profile Big Dave's is actively recruiting.
Operators in halal-accessible markets. Any market with a significant Muslim population that currently lacks halal fast-casual options is a natural territory fit. Big Dave's has a genuine first-mover advantage in these markets.
PE-backed development groups targeting emerging brands. The brand is early enough to secure protected territories in high-growth Southeast markets at current pricing. That option narrows as the system scales.
Red flags:First-time franchise buyers with limited QSR operations experience. The minimum 3-unit development requirement and $500,000 liquid requirement filters out many first-time buyers by design. This is not the right brand to learn on at this stage of its development.
Buyers primarily motivated by the celebrity story. The brand is real. The unit economics data is limited. If you are investing because of Hayes's origin story and Instagram presence, you are underweighting operational complexity and overweighting narrative.
Buyers in markets outside the current expansion corridor. Big Dave's stated priority is Southeast first, then Northeast. Franchisees seeking markets outside that corridor may face longer support timelines and less established supply chain logistics.
If you are an experienced multi-unit operator: Your biggest risk is not the product — the cheesesteak sells. Your risk is being the third or fourth franchisee in a system that hasn't yet codified its training, territory support, and supply chain logistics at scale. Early franchisees get protected territories. They also get prototype operations manuals. In our view, the window to be an early, territory-advantaged operator in this system is open for approximately 18–24 more months.Big Dave's is the leading example of what Black cultural entrepreneurship looks like when it meets franchise infrastructure. That is not a brand statement — it is a market fact. The brand is #6 on the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers list. It is the first majority Black-owned brand at that rank. 100% of current franchisees identify as Black or BIPOC.
For multi-unit operators who have felt underrepresented in franchise systems, this brand is being built with you explicitly in mind. The cultural alignment between brand and franchisee base is an operational advantage, not just a marketing talking point. Communities support businesses that reflect them. Big Dave's has proven this in Atlanta.
The cheesesteak category itself is large and underpenetrated by national franchise concepts. There is no dominant national cheesesteak franchisor. Big Dave's has a genuine opportunity to define that category at scale. Whether it does depends on execution in the next 24 months.
Franchise inquiries and investment information:
bigdavesfranchise.comQSR Research Hub uses publicly available sources only: FDD disclosures, trade press (QSR Magazine, Franchise Times, Nation's Restaurant News, Restaurant Business), company press releases, and customer review platforms with specific location URLs. We do not contact brands for comment before publication. We do not accept payment from brands for coverage. Every factual claim has a superscript citation. Analysis is clearly labeled. We do not fabricate data connections.
- Franchised unit P&Ls: No franchisee-level Item 19 data is publicly available. The first franchise locations opened in 2025. The next FDD cycle should contain this data — and prospective franchisees should request it before signing. - The Doraville closure: One of the original Atlanta affiliate locations appears closed as of December 2025. The operational circumstances are not publicly documented. - Current FDD Item 21 data: Franchisee transfers, terminations, and non-renewals in the current FDD are not publicly available without requesting the document directly from Big Dave's Franchising LLC. - Training program specifics: The brand's franchisee training curriculum, duration, and ongoing support structure are not publicly detailed. - Royalty negotiation history: Whether early development agreement franchisees received different royalty terms than the published 6% is unknown. - The revised 100-location timeline: The original public target of 100 franchise locations by end of 2025 was not met. No revised public timeline has been published.
This deep dive was produced independently. The brand profiled did not participate in, review, or approve this research prior to publication. All financial claims, unit economics, and operational assessments are sourced from publicly available materials and cited accordingly.
QSR Research Hub is an independent publication. We receive no compensation from any brand featured in our Brand Shoutouts. Franchise buyers, operators, and investors seeking introductions to qualified advisors, brokers, or service providers may visit our introductions page.
This article is editorial research, not investment advice. Franchise investments involve significant financial risk. All financial figures should be verified against the current Franchise Disclosure Document before any investment decision. Consult a qualified franchise attorney and independent accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
For weekly intelligence on QSR brands, operator deals, and franchise signals — written for operators, not investors:
1. Fast Casual. "Top 100 Movers and Shakers 2025." Big Dave's Cheesesteaks ranked #6; noted as first majority Black-owned brand to reach that position. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/introducing-the-fast-casual-futuremakers-big-daves-cheesesteaks/
2. QSR Magazine. "Introducing the Fast Casual FutureMakers: Big Dave's Cheesesteaks." April 1, 2026. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/introducing-the-fast-casual-futuremakers-big-daves-cheesesteaks/
3. Big Dave's Franchise website. Franchise investment information, FDD disclaimer language, 20% net profit claim, fee structure. Accessed March 2026. https://bigdavesfranchise.com/
4. Fortune. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks CEO grew up in 'survival mode' selling newspapers and bean pies." August 30, 2025. https://fortune.com/2025/08/30/big-daves-cheesesteaks-founder-ceo-derrick-hayes-entrepreneurship-careers-business-bean-pies-survival-mode-hustle/
5. QSR Magazine FutureMakers article (see citation 2). Derrick Hayes father's cancer diagnosis and Emory treatment.
6. Fortune (see citation 4). Verbatim quote from Derrick Hayes.
7. CNBC Make It. "How Derrick Hayes Built Big Dave's Cheesesteaks." August 31, 2023. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/31/how-derrick-hayes-built-big-daves-cheesesteaks.html
8. CNBC Make It (see citation 7). Verbatim Eve quote and franchising launch date August 2023.
9. CNBC Make It (see citation 7); AfroTech. "Derrick Hayes Brought Big Dave's Cheesesteaks to Atlanta." September 19, 2023. https://afrotech.com/big-daves-cheesesteaks-franchise-derrick-hayes
10. Big Dave's Cheesesteaks About page. Forbes Next 1000, Essence Magazine, Good Morning America, Red Table Talk. https://www.bigdavesway.com/about-us-1
11. QSR Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Opens First Franchise Location." March 25, 2025. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/big-daves-cheesesteaks-opens-first-franchise-location/
12. CNBC Make It (see citation 7). Pinky Cole and June 2020 marriage.
13. QSR Magazine FutureMakers (see citation 2). Verbatim Hayes quote on operator filter and Middle East expansion. Pinky Cole influence quote.
14. QSR Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Announces Franchise Program." November 28, 2023. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/big-daves-cheesesteaks-announces-franchise-program/
15. QSR Magazine FutureMakers (see citation 2). Amoroso rolls, halal beef and chicken, wild-caught salmon.
16. QSR Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Opens First Franchise Location" (see citation 11). Egg rolls as traffic driver.
17. QSR Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Signs New Deals in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia." July 30, 2024. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/big-daves-cheesesteaks-signs-new-deals-in-florida-south-carolina-and-georgia/ Philly Pretzel Factory partnership.
18. QSR Magazine (see citation 17). Mercedes-Benz Stadium Section 107 multi-year agreement; Kia Center / Orlando Magic partnership.
19. Yelp. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks — Doraville." Location page showing closed status, accessed March 2026. https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-daves-cheesesteaks-doraville
20. Franchise Times. "Emerging Brand Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Signs First Franchise Deal." January 19, 2024. https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/emerging-brand-big-dave-s-cheesesteaks-signs-first-franchise-deal/article_1146797e-b574-11ee-be32-d31f57eb9696.html Derek Lewis background, 10-unit Central Florida deal, 1,500–2,300 sq ft sizing.
21. Yelp. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks — Oviedo." Location page. https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-daves-cheesesteaks-oviedo-2
22. QSR Magazine (see citation 17). Marc and Kiera Brown, Frank and Courtney Williams South Carolina deal; Jessie Bray quotes; 1,600 sq ft Columbia location.
23. QSR Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Opens First Franchise Location" (see citation 11). Columbia Five Points opening; Charlotte University City Boulevard.
24. Greenville Business Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Breaks Ground in Greenville." August 20, 2025. https://www.greenvillebusinessmag.com/2025/08/20/543296/big-daves-cheesesteaks-breaks-ground-in-greenville
25. QSR Magazine. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Announces Franchise Program" (see citation 14). Citing 2023 FDD Item 19: $3,555,129 and $2,044,918 over 18 months for two affiliate locations.
26. Franchise Business Review. Franchise payback industry benchmarks (4–7 year fast-casual range). https://franchisebusinessreview.com
27. Yelp. "Big Dave's Cheesesteak — Orlando SoDo." Customer reviews, accessed March 2026. https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-dave-s-cheesesteak-orlando?start=40
28. TripAdvisor. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks — Atlanta." Customer reviews. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60898-d10800579-Reviews-Big_Dave_s_Cheesesteaks-Atlanta_Georgia.html
29. Charlotte's Got A Lot. Big Dave's Cheesesteaks customer reviews. https://www.charlottesgotalot.com/eat-drink/restaurants/big-daves-cheesesteaks
30. Yelp. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks — Atlanta." Review excerpts. https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-daves-cheesesteaks-atlanta-3
31. Yelp. "Big Dave's Cheesesteak — Orlando" (see citation 27). Pricing and order fulfillment complaint reviews.
32. TripAdvisor. "Big Dave's Cheesesteaks — Atlanta" (see citation 28). Seasoning criticism from Philly-born reviewers.
33. Derrick Hayes. LinkedIn post, July 2025. Supply chain announcement; Atelier 100 Most Influential People recognition. https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-hayes
34. Indeed. "Working at Big Dave's Cheesesteaks: Employee Reviews." Salary ranges and verbatim employee reviews. https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Big-Dave's-Cheesesteaks/reviews
35. QSR Magazine. "Suhel Ahmed Joins Big Dave's Cheesesteaks as Strategic Adviser." July 8, 2025. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/suhel-ahmed-joins-big-daves-cheesesteaks-as-strategic-adviser/