Shaquille O’Neal’s fried chicken restaurant opens in Fort Worth soon. Here’s when
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s fried chicken restaurant is opening in Fort Worth next month.
Big Chicken will open its doors on Sept. 3 at 9755 North Freeway near the Alliance Town Center shopping plaza. The Fort Worth location will be the chain’s first in North Texas, which also has locations in Austin and Houston.
The first 34 fans, a reference to O’Neal’s jersey number, in line at the Fort Worth location on Sept. 3 will receive free Big Chicken food and drinks for a year.
Big Chicken mainly serves fried chicken sandwiches, tenders, popcorn chicken, and salads. Side items include macaroni and cheese, fries, and jalapeno coleslaw.
A couple of specialty items include “The Ultimate” fried chicken sandwich, which is topped with mac and cheese, crispy fried onions and roasted garlic barbecue aioli. Another is “Uncle Jerome’s Nashville Hot” fried chicken sandwich with lettuce, mayo and pickles.
“When we first started this journey with Big Chicken, the corporate team came out to see us several times in Houston,” said Frank Malik, co-owner of Big Chicken Fort Worth alongside Fazil Malik and Noordin Jhaver. “It’s a huge part of why we have been able to expand Big Chicken in a big way in Fort Worth, and this opening is a testament to the unlimited runway in front of us.”
Big Chicken was founded in 2018 and has locations in 18 states and on Carnival Cruise Line.
In Texas, the chain has locations in Austin, Houston, Richmond and Lubbock. Big Chicken has major plans for Texas with another 46 locations in the works, according to a company press release.
O’Neal now has a Big Chicken close to home in North Texas, where he’s been living for the last few years.
The 15-time NBA All-Star bought a nearly 5,300-square-foot home in Carrollton for $1.2 million in July 2022. Earlier this year, O’Neal put the Carrollton home on the market and bought property in Rockwall, according to the Dallas Morning News.
O’Neal will be back in Fort Worth this fall at his second annual Shaq’s Bass All Stars Festival. The electronic music festival is returning to Panther Island Pavillion on Nov. 16.
Big Chicken opens Sept. 3 in Fort Worth at 9755 North Freeway.
