NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal will celebrate the grand opening of his Houston restaurant this weekend, and you’re invited.
O’Neal will appear at Big Chicken, his fast food chicken sandwich restaurant at 9660 Westheimer Rd., this Saturday, June 24 from 1-3 pm. 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.
Fans are invited to the restaurant for photos with the NBA Hall of Famer and media personality. The restaurant will offer a range of activities, including caricatures, face painting, balloon animals, a 360 photo booth, and outdoor games.
Courtesy of Big Chicken
Meet Shaq this Saturday.
“We’re going to have big fun, eat a lot of delicious food, and celebrate the grand opening of our first restaurant in Texas,” O’Neal said in a statement. “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.”
Based in Las Vegas, 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).
Big Chicken also serves fried chicken tenders, sliders, and milkshakes. Sides include Cheez-It-crusted mac and cheese, jalapeño slaw, and fries (both potato and sweet potato).
O’Neal — along with local franchisees Fazil Malik, Frank Malik, and Noordin Jhaver — plan to open 50 Big Chicken locations across Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. The Westheimer restaurant, the group’s first, opened in April. A second location will open later this year in Richmond at 3415 FM 762.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Big Chicken to the Lone Star State,” Knight added. “Everything is bigger in Texas, and so it’s only fitting that Big Chicken celebrates its next chapter expanding right here in Texas.”
