Derrick Hayes promised his father he would open a business. Years later, that promise became Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, a Philly-born, Atlanta-built brand now franchising across the Southeast. The founder and CEO joins Ryan Alford to tell the story of going from selling Italian ice nobody understood to running a cheesesteak spot people fly into Atlanta just to try.
Derrick explains what fishing taught him about patience in business, why the winners keep going without proof, and why hustling without mastering your craft just makes you a “hobby hustler.” He also shares his biggest scaling lesson: be humble enough to build a team that challenges you.
He also talks about the impact of bringing a business into a community, hiring locally, and his Blue Apron program, which gives young employees a real career path.
Topics Covered:
The Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks origin story
Patience, belief and working without proof
Hustling vs. mastering your craft
Scaling and franchising a restaurant brand
Building the right team and advisors
Community impact and creating careers
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
Links & Resources:
Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks: https://www.bigdavescheesesteaks.com/
Franchise info: https://www.bigdavescheesesteaks.com/franchise
Big Dave’s on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdavescheesesteaks/
Derrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialdhayes/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
