Things are always bigger in Texas… and this weekend things are even bigger, with the arrival of our very own Big Man, Shaquille O’Neal.
In Houston this weekend (as of this writing), Shaq celebrates the grand opening of the very newest Big Chicken fast food restaurant in a west-side Houston suburb. If you’re in the neighborhood, you’re invited to the party. (Officially, the new shop is at 9660 Westheimer Road, in the Mid-West area.)
Shaq will be there live and in person this Saturday, June 24 from 1-3 pm local time. He’ll be joined by Houston Mayor Sylvestor Turner, former Secretary of Education Rod Paige, and Emily Williams Knight, the president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association.
Take your selfies and enjoy some great food with the big man. As part of the Grand Opening, there will be a range of activities, including caricatures, face painting, balloon animals, a 360 photo booth, and outdoor games.
Needless to say, Shaq is excited about it: “We’re going to have big fun, eat a lot of delicious food, and celebrate the grand opening of our first restaurant in Texas. I’m looking forward to meeting with the Mayor and residents of Houston this weekend to share big food and big flavor inspired by my childhood favorites.”
Big Chicken is one of Shaq’s main businesses. As we’ve talked about on other ShaqFu Radio posts, O’Neal is involved in many different businesses, but his one is definitely one of his priorities. The company is based in Las Vegas. Around the country, Big Chicken serves fried chicken sandwiches with a range of toppings such as the Big & Sloppy (mac and cheese, fried onions), the Big Aristotle (fried onions, Muenster, Memphis-style barbecue sauce), and the Shaq Attack (pepper jack, jalapeño slaw, spicy chipotle barbecue sauce). Yum!
Meanwhile, Texas is going to get another helping of Shaq later this summer. Tickets go on sale now for the latest edition of Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Festival. O’Neal has put together a lineup of 14 musical artists who are set to appear across two stages at this year’s event, scheduled for the weekend of September 16 in Fort Worth, Texas at Panther Island Pavillion.
In an interview with Billboard Magazine, Shaq talked about the festival: “I am building this festival for all my headbangers out there. I’m bringing together my favorite acts and am excited for this to be a home for bass music fans throughout Texas that we can create a community around.”
“I’ve got a big platform, and I love to support up-and-coming acts as well … Some of these little guys on the lineup are just as good as the headliners, and that’s what Shaq’s Bass All-Stars is all about … It doesn’t matter who is performing if we are all together having a great time and headbanging,” he adds.
Interested? Here’s the lineup we know of at this point:
DJ Diesel (Shaq)
Alison Wonderland
Kai Wachi
Sullivan King
Crankdat
Jantsen
Layz
Emorfik
Hairitage
Leotrix
Charlitz Web
Solatn
Ruvlo b2b Celo
Either way, at Big Chicken or the festival…see you there!
