It’s been a mixed business report for Shaquille O’Neal. Recently, the Lakers legend launched Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies in sneaker shapes, and that was not all. The 4x NBA champion also put his foot forward for the first time with his fragrance, exclusively available at JCPenney. But it seems that his high level in his entrepreneurial journey nullifies his personal brand’s recent failures. We are talking about the setbacks that Shaq’s Big Chicken has been facing for quite some time.
Big Chicken debuted in Las Vegas in 2018 and earned the accolade of the “2024 Brand of the Year” from the International Franchise Association. The success in a short time is also filled with various challenges. One that came to light recently was another closure of a franchise location. As per reports, they have apparently shuttered at the Northshore Mall in Peabody about one year after opening. Yes, if you remember, this was the first location that Big Diesel launched in Massachusetts.
In fact, Shaquille O’Neal and Big Chicken had plans for a second location on the North Shore, slated for North Beverly. Patch tried connecting with the brand via call. They received an answer, “indicating that it was currently closed and not likely to reopen.” The location also had a professional connection as Shaq played for the Celtics before retiring. That’s why when the store opened in July last year, the first 36 customers in line for the grand opening received a gift card giving them $10 of food each week for a year.
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Usually, the number is 34, but in Boston, the Big Aristotle wore #36. Talking about his business once, the 15x All-Star called it “It’s personal. I wanted them all to have names and identities, stories behind the sandwiches.” In 2023, ‘Big Chicken’ was on the path to expand to 300+ locations nationwide. In 2024, it seemed it was getting there. But in 2025, the trajectory of Shaquille O’Neal’s fast casual domination has changed.
To stop these issues, they even signed a powerhouse partnership with Craveworthy back in March. But it seems the problems, like the Northshore Mall closure, continue to happen.
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Looking into multiple setbacks of Big Chicken and Shaquille O’Neal
The setbacks continue to happen despite the continuous growth of Big Chicken. Previously, it opened new stores in Tampa, Florida, and Livonia, Michigan, as well as outlets on Carnival cruise ships and arenas like Wintrust, home of Angel Reese-led Chicago Sky. Speaking of partnership, the Craveworthy Brands deals also led to the first NIL signing in college football star Joshua Jones. These are all the good highlights that put some mast over the Shaq’s brand problems.
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One of the most notable setbacks to Big Chicken came in August 2024. Not one but three Arkansas stores in Fayetteville and Springdale, owned by the same franchisee, underwent a rebranding. This took place within eight months as Amy and Chris McMillan, with their restaurant group, ended their partnership with Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken. They changed their focus to building their “in house” brand. Similar closures continued in various areas.
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At the end of November, Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, residents noticed the local Big Chicken was unoperational. No information from the Shaquille O’Neal brand was provided apart from a sign ‘Closed Until Further Notice’. There were also reports that there weren’t any renovation plans underway or other reasons for the outlet to shut down. The location in Florida’s Lake City that opened in 2024 was also in the news recently. It closed after only a few weeks of operation.
These closures are a sign of the franchise being less profitable. As per multiple reports, opening a single Big Chicken franchise can cost around $680,000 to $1.5 million, including the $40,000 franchise fee. Shaq would be hoping, like his other portfolios, that even his fast-food restaurant can now go on a positive growth rate for a sustained period of time.