A Shaq-Inspired Chicken Concept Has Its Sights on the North Side of Fort Worth

A new Big Chicken franchise is scheduled to be open in the Spring of 2024 on the outskirts of Cowtown.

by

In keeping with his tradition of showing up big, NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal’s new chicken franchise, titled none other than Big Chicken, will soon be a fixture in the DFW area. This new fried chicken eatery is anticipated to be located between Outback Steakhouse and Revfit inside the Victory Shops at Heritage Trace on the north side of town. This restaurant, which boasts recipes from O’Neal’s childhood, is estimated to be open sometime in the spring of 2024, according to an article posted on the NewsBreak.  

Founded in 2018, Big Chicken consists of partners JRS Hospitality, the Authentic Brands Group, and the Shaq himself. However, O’Neal’s involvement in this franchise is more than financial. In fact, Big Chicken’s menu was created by fusing O’Neal’s home-cooked childhood favorites with many of today’s trending flavors.

For example, the Big Chicken menu has a Cheez-It-crusted mac n’ cheese, which sounds so simple many people will be asking themselves, “why didn’t I think of that?” Besides this unique side dish, the Big Chicken menu also boasts a sandwich called the Ultimate Big & Sloppy. This sandwich is so big, it requires both of your hands to hold it. Its interior is host to a pile of mac & cheese, crispy fried onions, roasted garlic bbq aioli served on a hunk of fried chicken. And this being Shaq’s house, means having a sandwich called the Shaq Attack of course. This belly buster comes with a slice of pepper jack cheese, a heap of jalapeno slaw, and a spicy chipotle bbq sauce, all served on a freshly fried chicken breast.

This new Big Chicken spot marks the fourth in a line of Texas locales that include sections of Austin, Houston, and Richmond. There are even reports that Big Chicken has its sights set on a new spot in Lubbock next year as well.

But this isn’t the only time O’Neal or one of his passion projects touched down in the DFW area either. This September, O’Neal along with several well-known DJs, played Panther Island Pavilion during a tour for Shaq’s Bass All Stars. This was coined as Texas’s largest bass festival to date, which included such DJs as Alison Wonderland, Kai Wachi, and Sullivan King plus more. Shaq brought the bass to an estimated 10,000 electronic dance music (EDM) fans in Cowtown alone this year.

Since his start as a DJ, O’Neal has created one of the biggest festival brands in the entire electronic and dance music scene since he began his musical journey nearly a decade ago. Today, O’Neal is one of the most recognized celebrities who has multiple endorsement deals with brands like Icy Hot and Papa John’s.

Over his 19-year NBA basketball career, O’Neal played for six teams including playing alongside late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.  O’Neal is a four-time NBA champion, who is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time.