FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – We’ve got BIG news for the city of Fayetteville. 

Big Chicken, the star-powered chicken concept founded by legendary basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, announced today the opening of its newest location in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. The restaurant is slated to have a soft opening on December 27 prior to the grand opening on January 3, and be conveniently located at 2190 MLK Blvd, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

As part of a massive 40-unit deal to bring the trending fast-casual chicken brand from the Gulf Coast across to Northwest Arkansas, the Fayetteville location will be the first to open for husband-wife duo, Chris and Amy McMillan, co-owners of Northwest Arkansas Restaurant Group sister company to Panhandle Restaurant Group. This location will also be partly owned by Rusty Enfinger, Clay Moser and Ronnie Brewer Jr, former NBA player and current assistant coach to the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team. The restaurant will officially be the first to introduce the brand’s mouthwatering menu items to residents of Arkansas.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to bring Big Chicken to Fayetteville and are eagerly awaiting to open our doors in November,” said Amy McMillan. “After meeting Josh and the entire Big Chicken team, we knew that we made the right decision. We can’t wait to connect with the Fayetteville community and bring BIG fun and BIG flavor throughout the city.”

The McMillans are seasoned entrepreneurs in the industry with a distinguished business portfolio and bring a plethora of skills into their new business venture with Big Chicken. As multi-brand operators with a portfolio of restaurants spanning across multiple regions of the country, the pairs’ background draws from their passion for providing exceptional dining experiences to the communities their businesses serve.

“We were ecstatic to have such esteemed restaurant operators like Amy and Chris join Big Chicken,” said Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken. “Beyond their impressive ownership portfolio, their love for the QSR industry carries through in everything that they do. This is just the start of BIG things for Big Chicken in Arkansas.”

With 300-plus locations in development nationwide for the brand, Big Chicken currently has locations open in Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Seattle; Houston; Gilbert, Arizona; Rosemont, Illinois and in the Dayton, Ohio region, as well as in metro-New York’s UBS Arena, The Comcast Center in Philadelphia, The Moody Center in Austin, ASU’s Mullett Arena, Palm Springs’ Acrisure Arena, St. Louis’s Busch Stadium, Kansas City International Airport and on three Carnival Cruise ships. 

To learn more about Big Chicken in downtown Fayetteville, visit https://www.bigchicken.com/fayetteville-ar

About Big Chicken
Founded in 2018, Big Chicken is backed by a dream team of partners; JRS Hospitality, an accomplished Las Vegas-based ownership group; Authentic Brands Group, a multi-national, multi-billion-dollar brand development, marketing and entertainment company; and Hall of Fame basketball star Shaquille O’Neal. Big Chicken fuses O’Neal’s home-cooked childhood favorites with today’s trending flavors. From crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders to Cheez-It® crusted mac n’ cheese and hand-crafted ice cream shakes, each menu item tells a story all while offering guests an inside look into the life and personality of Shaquille O’Neal. With 13 traditional locations currently open and several in the development pipeline, Big Chicken is prepped to begin U.S. and international expansion through franchising.

To learn more about Big Chicken, visit www.bigchicken.com.

About Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the world’s most successful athlete-turned-businessmen, whose accomplishments both on and off the court have translated into a highly sought-after consumer brand. As an entrepreneur, sports analyst, DJ, restaurateur, and brand ambassador, Shaquille O’Neal’s signature “Business of Fun” mantra resonates throughout each of his countless endeavors.

The 15-time NBA All-Star’s unprecedented athletic career spanned nearly two decades and earned him countless awards and honors, including NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Rookie of the Year, four NBA Championships and a First Ballot NBA Hall of Famer.  Currently, O’Neal is an analyst on TNT’s Emmy Award-winning “Inside the NBA.”

O’Neal, who has a PhD in Leadership and Education, established The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation which provides resources for underserved youth. He also gives back through a number of annual philanthropic programs including Shaq to School, Shaqsgiving, and Shaq a Claus.

The launch of his Las Vegas eatery Big Chicken has further elevated Shaquille’s status as he has positioned himself as a successful restaurateur. The brand currently has sites open in Las Vegas, Glendale, CA, two Carnival Cruise Ships (Mardi Gras and Radiance), Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in New York with many more locations under development.

Follow Shaquille O’Neal on TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) is a global brand development, marketing and entertainment platform, which owns a portfolio of more than 40 iconic and world-renowned Lifestyle, Entertainment and Media brands. Headquartered in New York City, with offices around the world, Authentic connects strong brands with best-in-class partners and a global network of operators, distributors and retailers to build long-term value in the marketplace. Its brands have an expansive retail footprint, including more than 9,100-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops in more than 150 countries and generate approximately $24 billion in global annual retail sales. 

Authentic is committed to transforming brands by delivering powerful storytelling, compelling content, innovative business models and immersive experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms and emerging media. Authentic’s brand portfolio includes Marilyn Monroe®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O’Neal®, David Beckham®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Sports Illustrated®, Reebok®, Eddie Bauer®, Spyder®, Volcom®, Airwalk®, Nautica®, Izod®, Brooks Brothers®, Barneys New York®, Judith Leiber®, Ted Baker®, Hervé Léger®, Frye®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Lucky Brand®, Aéropostale®, Forever 21®, Nine West®, Jones New York®, Tretorn®, Prince®, Van Heusen®, Arrow®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx® and Thomasville®.

For more information, visit authentic.com.

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