Lubbock, Texas – your time has come! As we write this post from the offices of the ShaqFu Radio blog on a rainy Monday (here in Florida), a brand spankin’-new Big Chicken restaurant is opening in your town! Hope you’re hungry…
Franchise owner Coby Jones opened the doors at 10 AM this morning. For you locals, the new eatery is at 7411 Milwaukee Avenue, southwest of downtown, in the Regal Park neighborhood. Jones says he and his team have spent the last week training employees and adding last-minute touches to the restaurant.
“I hope they are going to love the chicken as much as I do,” Jones told local media.
At this point, we don’t know if the big man himself would be attending the Grand Opening or not. Either way, the first 34 people to arrive on opening day will be getting a year’s supply of Big Chicken in the form of a gift card. Why 34? Shaq-history fans know – of course! – that was O’Neal’s jersey number during his time playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Jones did say he knows that Shaq will stop by for a visit at some point, depending on his busy schedule.
Talking about the menu, Jones said it includes “very hearty potions with big flavors and some spice if you like it.” We do! The new restaurant is about a 15 minute drive away from the campus of Texas Tech University. Jones says he’s got big plans for game days, with a 12-foot TV already installed… Perfect for cheering on the Red Raiders.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
Shaq and his partners with the Big Chicken operation continue to make waves in the fast-food restaurant business. They’ve been very creative in setting up shops in some interesting venues. The very first Big Chicken was located “at sea” – aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship.
Other locations include being inside major sports arenas. There’s a Big Chicken in New York’s UBS Arena (home to the NHL Rangers), the Comcast Center in Philly (home of the 76ers), and the Footprint Center in Phoenix (home of the Suns).
In addition, there are Big Chicken stores in venues like the Moody Center in Austin, Texas – home of Austin City Limits, the Kansas City International Airport, and St. Louis’s Busch Stadium. Who knows where the Chicken will pop up next?
At this point, there are about 350 Big Chicken shops around the country, either open for business or in the planning and building stages. Big Chicken currently has traditional locations open in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.
Shaq’s main business partner is ABG – Authentic Brands Group. A marketing and entertainment company, ABG owns a portfolio of iconic and world-renowned brands including Sports Illustrated, Elvis Presley and Reebok.
Here at the offices of ShaqFu Radio, we’re still very much looking forward to our first taste of Big Chicken food. The menu fuses O’Neal’s home-cooked childhood favorites with today’s trending flavors; crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders to Cheez-It-crusted mac n’ cheese and hand-crafted ice cream shakes.