NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal opened the doors to his Big Chicken franchise in Houston last Saturday, and the event drew so many people the fire marshal had to shut it down.
Shaq And Chicken Cause A Commotion
The presence of Shaq and the free food items on the menu caused a traffic jam and overflow of the parking lots in both sides of Westheimer Road (where the restaurant is located) between South Gessner and Tanglewilde.
“I’ve been living here for 30 years,” the Hall of Famer said. “I just want to thank the people of Houston for coming out. I love the turnout but if it was ten people or one hundred people, I’m going to be thankful.”
Despite the fire marshal telling everyone to vacate the restaurant, Shaq continued to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and greet everyone who turned out.
He is one of the more gregarious professional athletes we’ve ever had. Often very generous with his time, and known to give spontaneously to those in need.
Big Chicken Isn’t Shaq’s First Foray Into Franchising
Big Chicken was founded in 2018 by Shaq in conjunction with JRS Hospitality, and Authentic Brands Group. The goal was to combine Shaq’s home-cooked childhood favorites with popular flavors.
Each item on the menu has Shaq’s personalized touch with staples: chicken sandwiches, popcorn chicken, tenders, sliders, salads, fries, shakes, ice cream sandwiches, and cookies. All foods the TNT NBA analyst ate as a child.
“This is my creation — Excuse me, this is my mama’s creation. Coming where we come from, me and this little guy had to eat chicken a lot,” laughed Shaq as he motioned toward his brother. “Chicken sandwiches, chicken tacos, chicken everything. When the opportunity came to create this franchise, we had a meeting and sold over 250. This is the first to open in Houston. I just wanted people to come out, so I’m paying for everything today. Try it. If you like it, cool. If you don’t let me know why because we want to make this one of the best restaurants out here.”
The four-time NBA champion is no stranger to franchising, having stakes in 24 Hour Fitness, Five Guys, Papa John’s and Auntie Anne’s to name a few. For each franchise he is an avid consumer/user of the product.
“Shaquille’s palate and what he likes is really what our consumer likes,” Matthew Silverman, chef and managing partner of JRS Hospitality said earlier this year. “I think this holds a special place in his heart.”
Currently Big Chicken franchises are sold out in Arizona, Idaho, Florida and Utah. Opportunities remain in the rest of the U.S.
After a legendary 20-year career where he amassed numerous accolades and sponsorship deals, Shaq has continued his winning ways off the court as well. He is believed to have an estimated net worth of $400 million.
Shaq will rejoin his nemesis Charles Barkley on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” next season along with Ernie Johnson and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. Inside was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2016, becoming the 12th program to receive the honor and the third sports show after “SportsCenter” and “Monday Night Football.”
