Derek Lewis spent his entire career in corporate America, the last 35 years at PepsiCo, where he rose through the ranks to become president of the global food, beverage and snack corporation’s multicultural business and equity development initiative.
But all Lewis, who retired from PepsiCo in 2022, wants to talk about now is starting the next exciting chapter of his life as the first franchisee for Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. He signed a deal with the emerging brand to open 10 restaurants in central Florida.
Lewis said he plans to start scouting locations next week with the hopes of breaking ground on his first two locations this spring and opening them later in the year.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at PepsiCo, but I’m now super excited to be partnering with a fantastic food brand whose founder, Derrick Hayes, I have a powerful bond with and who I have the upmost respect for,” Lewis said. “I have no doubt that Big Dave’s is going to become a national brand one day and I take a lot of pride in being its first franchisee.”
Derek Lewis is Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks first franchisee, signing a 10-unit deal in Florida.
The deal with Lewis represents a major milestone for Big Dave’s, which launched franchising last year after it gained a loyal following at four corporate locations and a food truck in the Atlanta market. It has three food stations in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Its restaurants make authentic-style Philadelphia cheesesteaks and cheesesteak egg rolls with beef, chicken and salmon. Its menu also offers a veggie cheesesteak and several sauces with varying spice levels to complement the food.
Lewis said he forged an instant bond with Hayes and his wife, Pinky Cole, when they first met a few years ago at an entrepreneur summit in New York focused on how corporate America can better support African-American-owned businesses. He said he knew he wanted to partner with Big Dave’s after visiting Hayes’ corporate location in Atlanta and sampling the sandwiches.
“I’m a big, huge fan of cheesesteaks, and once I took a bite out of a Big Dave’s cheesesteak and their egg rolls, I knew that I wanted to get involved. It’s that good,” said Lewis. “Once Derrick got his franchising team and system in place, I said ‘When can we start?’”
Lewis said he sees lots of potential for growth for Big Dave’s in and around his home in Orlando, Florida. His franchise territory encompasses six robust markets—Lake, Brevard, Volusia, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties— which gives the new franchisee lots of room to develop his restaurants.
“We’ve got a very dynamic trade area here in central Florida and we’ll look at all those counties to penetrate in and develop Big Dave’s there,” he said.
Lewis said he anticipates building restaurants between 1,500 and 2,300 square feet that are geared toward grab-and-go customers along with seating for destination diners. “Our boxes will also have a delivery component to them, with people ordering online,” Lewis said. “The main thing is we want to make it work for all our guests and give them every reason for coming back.”
Derrick Hayes, founder and owner of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks
Lewis is not new to franchising. While at PepsiCo he worked for Taco Bell, which the company owned at that time, as market manager in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. He said he oversaw 25 restaurants for the company from 1998 to 2001. His wife, Sherene Lewis, who will also be involved in some capacity with his Big Dave’s operation, also worked for Taco Bell, in franchise sales.
“Honestly, there are no words to capture how pumped I am about this franchise deal—this partnership is about to set the brand on fire,” Hayes said in the announcement of the agreement with Lewis.
The initial investment range for a Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks is $789,100 to $1,228,900, and franchisees are required to build at least five units in their assigned territory. The company’s flagship location in downtown Atlanta generated more than $2 million in sales over an 18-month period.