- Derrick Hayes, the millennial boss of multimillion-dollar chain Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, grew up in “survival mode” selling bean pies and newspapers as a kid living in Philadelphia. Just like Gen Z, he juggled multiple side gigs growing up before getting a 9-to-5 in the postal service. But he quit it all to be by his dying father’s side who wished that he would start his own business. It inspired Hayes to launch Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks—and now, the multimillion-dollar brand boasts 12 locations across the U.S., selling $12 cheesesteaks every 58 seconds.
Today, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks is serving up the Philly classic to millions of hungry customers all across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. But the multimillion-dollar operation is far from being the first hustle of its founder and CEO, Derrick Hayes. Growing up in Philadelphia, the entrepreneur made ends meet by selling bean pies and newspapers as a kid.
“I was in survival mode my whole life, from being a kid to high school,” Hayes tells Fortune. “I was always a hustler. I was a serial entrepreneur even when I was younger.”
“When [I was] 12 years old, I was selling Philadelphia newspapers and bean pies…I would go to the suburban neighborhoods and shovel snow when there was no snow on the ground in Philly. I never liked to ask my parents for money. I always wanted to have my own, and [it] made me feel good about myself.”…