Water outage, pipes burst, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks kept closed in downtown Atlanta

In addition to the water damage, Hayes lost the equivalent of a walk-in cooler of food. As his team works to clean the space, he doesn’t know when it will be able to reopen. He said he feels fortunate to be able to move his employees from downtown Atlanta to other locations in Forest Park, Doraville and Lawrenceville.

“Last month I opened a location at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and my first location in Charlotte,” he said. “I partied all month, then my trumpet broke. However, we are confident that we will soon get back on our feet. »

Hayes said he lost “tens of thousands of dollars” over the weekend. Between Big Dave’s and Slutty Vegan, the popular plant-based burger chain owned by Hayes’ wife, Pinky Cole, he estimates the couple lost more than $100,000 because of the water issues.

But even though he’s going through a tough time, Hayes says he’s optimistic.

“There are so many other good things happening right now,” he said. “I’m just going to keep my head up. I know this place will come back better, and I thank God that I am in a position where I can keep my employees working. It’s my busy time and I’m going to lose sales, but I can’t question God. It’s just a bump in the road.

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