Big Chicken is a fast-rising fast food company started by NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. The company has grown to 50 locations within four years, thanks to strong backing from JRS Hospitality and Authentic Brands Group.

Since its inception in 2018, the company has also obtained or sought federal registration for several trademarks. Let’s look into the company’s history, the main character, locations, and trademarks.

Big Chicken History

Big Chicken was founded in 2018 by Shaquille O’Neal. It was started to deliver his home-cooked favorite chicken dishes with a blend of modern trendy flavors.

The company is backed by two other partners, JRS Hospitality and Authentic Brands Group. JRS Hospitality is an established ownership group based in Las Vegas. On the other hand, Authentic Brands Group is a multi-national, multi-billion-dollar brand development, entertainment, and marketing company.

Big Chicken serves several dishes on its menu, primarily comprised of chicken. These include crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders. The restaurant also sells Cheez-It crusted mac n’ cheese, and hand-crafted ice cream shakes.

Most of the items on the menu tell a story about the life and personality of Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most celebrated athletes globally.

O’Neal has impeccable prowess in the basketball court and the business world. He identifies as an entrepreneur, restaurateur, brand ambassador, sports analyst, and DJ. Within Big Chicken, he’s built the mantra of “Business of Fun,” which he uses in other endeavors.

Before venturing into business, Shaq had an illustrious NBA career spanning almost two decades. During this time, he won several accolades such as NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Player, First Ballot NBA Hall of Famer, and four NBA Championships.

Shaq has a Ph.D. in Leadership and Education. He’s used his academic qualifications to create the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, which provides underserved youths with resources. He also runs several philanthropic programs such as Shaqsgiving, Shaq to School, and Shaq a Claus.

Authentic Brands Group is perhaps the biggest partner in Big Chicken. Headquartered in New York, the company owns a portfolio of large, global entertainment, media, and lifestyle brands.

The company has over 50 consumer brands and properties under its wing, which helps build long-term value. It does this by partnering with world-class manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers to empower its portfolio brands and properties.

The brands under ABG have a global retail footprint across the specialty, luxury, mid-tier, department store, e-commerce, and mass channels with over 7,500 free-standing stores and shop-in-shops globally.

Big Chicken Locations

Big Chicken operates using the franchising model. The company has several traditional locations open with others in the pipeline as it prepares for larger U.S. and international expansion.

Big Chicken operates in Glendale, California, Las Vegas, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, two Carnival Cruise Ships (Radiance and Mardi Gras), and UBS Arena in New York. Lately, the company has also been opening new locations in Texas and Dayton area.

On April 6, 2022, Big Chicken announced a mega entry into the Texan market, setting up franchises in the four largest Texas markets. The company will expand into Texas through a multi-unit development agreement with a Texas-based owner and operator.

Big Chicken’s four new locations in Texas include Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. These are four of the U.S.’s top 11 restaurant markets by population.

Big Chicken’s opening of its four Texas locations was graced by Emily Williams Knight Ed.D., the President, and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association.

Fazil Malik and Frank Malik, who run North West Petroleum (NWP) and Skylark Construction are also a part of the team running Big Chicken’s expansion into Texas.

NWP is a gas station and convenience store business. Skylark Construction is a construction business of retail developments, convenience stores, gas stations, sit-downs, and quick-serve restaurants. These give Big Chicken leverage as it seeks to dominate the Texan market.

Noordin Jahver is another partner involved in the expansion to Texas. He is the CEO of Dew Real Estate Holdings LLC, a notable real estate ownership company in Texas. The company operates in the retail and restaurant space, running more than 50 Sonic restaurants with 45 more in development.

Noordin and the Maliks, who’ve known each other for more than 30 years, will now undertake the work of expanding Big Chicken into 50 locations in Texas.

Big Chicken Trademarks

Big Chicken has obtained or sought federal registration for over 20 trademarks. These include “BIG CHICKEN” and roughly six logos.

Big Chicken first obtained federal trademark registration for “BIG CHICKEN” on December 10, 2019, and uses the trademark for its bar and restaurant services.

In August 2019, Big Chicken sought another federal trademark registration for a “BIG CHICKEN” logo. The company intends to use the trademark on its decals, including photographs, posters, stickers and transfers, stationery, and writing utensils.

Big Chicken also sought to federally register a logo featuring a muscular chicken, as a trademark in September of 2020. The company intends to use the trademark for its chicken sandwiches.