Shaq’s Big Chicken Franchise Is Doing Big Things

Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise, Shaquille O’Neal’ newest entry in the fast-casual space, is getting lots of attention. In a moment, I’ll share the requirements to buy a Big Chicken franchise. Including cost.

In addition, I’m going to share the latest Big Chicken restaurant openings, what’s next for Shaquille O’Neal’s food franchise, and more. Let’s dig in.

Big Chicken Franchise: Shaq’s Recent Restaurant Openings

Check out where Shaquille O’Neal’s new chicken restaurants have opened…or are opening soon.

Michigan

Big Chicken just announced a franchise agreement to open 20 new locations in Eastern Michigan, including the Flint, Saginaw and Mount Pleasant areas.

Ohio

Big Chicken franchisees Steve Christensen and Reid Richards are bring three Big Chicken locations to the Dayton area.

Kurt and Ryan Webb, Trever Einerson and Steve Crandall are checking out Big Chicken franchise franchise locations for their first restaurant, focusing on drive-thru or in-line build-outs in the Greater Columbus area.

New York

As an NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal is wisely using his sports connections to get his new brand noticed. And he’s done it before.

For instance, he just opened a Big Chicken restaurant in the brand-new UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

That’s where NY Islanders fans will have an opportunity to taste Shaq’s crispy chicken sandwiches, tenders, and fries while they’re cheering on their team.  

Seattle

The former NBA star just opened a Big Chicken restaurant in the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

It’s where the Kraken, the National Hockey League’s newest team, will play their home games. Exciting times, for sure! And I have a feeling that Shaquille is just warming up, with more arena/stadium partnerships to come.

What Is Big Chicken?

In a nutshell, the former NBA star’s Big Chicken is a fast casual restaurant that specializes in fried chicken. And chicken is hot!

Menu items include crispy chicken sandwiches, sliders, chicken tenders, salads and more.  

And to help get the product out to more people in more places, Big Chicken has partnered with Ghost Kitchen Brands. Good strategy, Shaq!

Note: I wish I would’ve stopped at Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise in Las Vegas when I was there to speak at a conference earlier this year. I would have reviewed the food for you. Darn!

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New! You Can Now Eat Shaquille O’Neal’s Chicken While Cruising

That’s right. Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken is now available on the Mardi Gras, the newest ship from Carnival Cruise Lines. Watch this short video:

New Video Featuring Big Chicken Franchise Execs

Check out what these franchise executives have to say about running a fast-growing franchise brand.

Big Chicken Franchise Cost

The Big Chicken restaurant started accepting franchise applications earlier this year.

Cost-wise, the initial investment for the Big Chicken Franchise ranges from $450,000 to $1.4 million. That includes the franchise fee, which comes in at a reasonable $40,000.

In addition, there’s a 5% royalty on sales, along with a 2% marketing fee which will be used for both national and local marketing.

More Big Chicken News Updates

Shaquille O’Neal Bringing Chicken Restaurant To Nashville

Shaquille O’Neal is making big moves in Tennessee, bringing his very own chicken “shaq” to Nashville.

Big Chicken, co-founded by the former NBA star in 2018, is set to open 10 restaurants around Tennessee thanks to a new franchise agreement with a local restauranteur, per WKRN. The first location will open in Nashville at a to-be-determined location and date with other locations expected in Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Big Chicken Opening at Austin Landing
Shaq’s franchise is opening at Austin Landing, and it’s the the first of 3 Big Chicken franchises slated to open in the Dayton area.

This is Big stuff!

Southwest Ohio Getting 3 Big Chicken Restaurants

Shaq’s Big Chicken just signed 50-unit franchise agreement in the big state of Texas. The young chicken chain will open restaurants in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas.

New! The Florida Panhandle will now be the home to potentially four Big Chicken locations.

Phoenix Restaurants Coming Soon

Shaquille’s new restaurant, with locations in Las Vegas, Glendale, California, Rochester, New York, in multiple sports arenas and on two Carnival Cruise ships, is targeting the Phoenix area for expansion.

Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant Signs Franchise Agreement For Chicago
Chicago-area entrepreneur Ken Patel, who was once one of 7-Eleven’s biggest franchisees, has signed an agreement to open the first Big Chicken restaurant in the Rosemont area of Chicago.
 

Should You Buy A Shaq’s Big Chicken Franchise?

While it would be wonderful to own and operate one or more Big Chicken restaurant franchises, you need to make sure owning a food-service establishment is right for you.

For instance, have you ever worked in and/or managed a restaurant?

Are you in good shape? I hope so, because operating a restaurant is hard work, with 12-hour days being the norm. Especially at the beginning.

That said, in a perfect world, you’ll eventually be able to back off and take on the role of “managing the managers.”

Next, it’s important to have the money needed to open and operate your Big Chicken franchise. That includes having enough working capital on hand for inventory, payroll, taxes, and repayment of your small business loan.

Finally, it’s not very often that a big celebrity gets behind a franchise. Especially someone like Shaq. A guy who knows business. And to date, Shaquille O’Neal’s chicken restaurant is being talked about a lot.

With that in mind, if you’re thinking about buying a franchise, maybe you can hitch a ride on his brand and become the owner of Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant in your hometown.

Are you interested?

FAQ’s About Shaq’s New Brand

NBA Player Autographs Available!

Big Chicken franchise images courtesy of the Big Chicken Facebook Page.