Big Dave’s Cheesesteak broke ground at 1224 Woodruff Road Aug. 19.
The business will be located just behind Dave’s Hot Chicken. Franchise owners Kiera and Marc Brown broke the interior wall in the suite, along with founder and CEO Derrick Hayes and president Jessie Bray.
The couple hope to open the location by the end of the year, though it could be closer to March 2026. The Browns opened a location in Columbia in March.
“We were looking at all different locations in South Carolina to bring our second store,” Kiera Brown said. “When we came to Greenville – we did a tour of Greenville – we just really enjoyed the energy of the city.”
Big Dave’s was named after Hayes’ father and opened its first location in 2014. Hayes is a native of West Philadelphia but is now located in Atlanta. In opening the franchise, he hoped to bring a little bit of his hometown to his new home.
“I’m actually happy because I get to see my franchisees grow [and] create generational wealth for their families. Also, I get to see my dream come true,” Hayes said. “My all-time goal was to franchise this business and now I gave it to good people and they’re growing it.”
The restaurant serves halal beef and chicken along with ocean-caught salmon. Bray said the business tries to create a cheesesteak that is specific to the area. For South Carolina, the team has created a roll with pimento cheese tossed in buffalo chicken.
