ATLANTA — Derrick Hayes is very proud of the Wall of Fame in his downtown Atlanta restaurant.
“We got Shaq, Tamron Hall. She was my very first national TV platform when I went on a national talk show,” Hayes said.
Hayes is the founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. He has 13 restaurants all over the south. His flagship on Marietta Street is the perfect location for what’s coming.
“Oh, it’s gonna be a madhouse! There will be people everywhere,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of international soccer fans are about to arrive. Atlanta will host eight matches for FIFA World Cup 2026.
The first match is just six weeks away.
Big Dave’s has a location inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, so they have lots of experience with “any given Sunday.” But he says the World Cup will be like a string of Super Bowl Sundays.
He is already taking steps to beef up his cheesesteak staff, working on special menus for fans who may not read or speak English. He is also looking at plans to stay open around the clock.
“What we’ve been working on right now is thinking about a 24-hour program. We’re staffing it right now. Of course, it’s easier said than done. We know that when we’re sleeping, they’re eating and when we’re eating they’re sleeping. So we want to make sure we’re here for everybody,” Hayes said.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Georgia $1.2 billion tax rebates: First payments are going out. How much will you get?
- 2 Atlanta officers arrested in Gwinnett rodeo VIP area
- Woman found guilty, but mentally ill during deadly midtown Atlanta shooting spree
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]