Shaq’s Big Chicken opens second fast casual restaurant

Big Chicken – the fast casual fried chicken restaurant owned by retired NBA player, Shaquille O’Neal – opened a 2,600-square-foot location in Glendale, California on February 3.

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(Big Chicken)
(Big Chicken)

Big Chicken the fast casual fried chicken restaurant owned by retired NBA player, Shaquille O’Neal – opened a 2,600-square-foot location in Glendale, California on February 3.

The Los Angeles-area location is the second Big Chicken in existence. O’Neal chronicled the opening of the first – located in Los Vegas, Nevada – in an eight episode reality show on Facebook Watch. The series gave fans the opportunity to vote on menu items, the ingredients of certain dishes and even the restaurants logo.

Later this year, O’Neal and his management team plan to open a third and fourth location of Big Chicken that will be located at sea on the cruise ships, Carnival Radiance and Mardi Gras.

“Big Chicken is a labor of love featuring all of my favorite fried chicken recipes developed in tandem with my mom. Carnival is a great partner, and I am very excited to bring the largest Big Chicken at sea aboard the spectacular new Mardi Gras,” O’Neal told the TV show, “Extra.”

O’Neal is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He played for six teams in his 19 year career and his height and oversized personality captured the attention of fans.

Home-cooked childhood favorites

Big Chicken’s menu “fuses home-cooked childhood favorites with bold new flavors,” including a number of fried chicken sandwiches that sport Shaq-related names, including the Shaq Daddy and Big Aristotle, as well as tenders and regular and sweet potato fries. One sandwich, the M.D.E., is named after O’NEAL’S self-designated title “Most Dominant Ever” and features a condiment called “Shaq sauce” and pickles.

All chicken served at Big Chicken restaurants is preservative- and cage-free with no hormones or antibiotics.

"Big Chicken has been a dream of mine," O'Neal said in a press release announcing the location of the brand's second unit. "Seeing the guests' response to our food has been so rewarding. I can't wait to bring Big Chicken to Southern California and let more people experience the best chicken sandwich in the world."

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