SPRINGDALE, Ark. – We’re back and BIGGER than ever in Arkansas! 

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 Springdale, Arkansas. The restaurant is slated to open on February 24 and will be conveniently located at 1120 Mathias Drive in Springdale near West Sunset Avenue.

As part of the grand opening festivities, the first 10 guests in line at the grand opening will receive Big Chicken sandwiches for a year, limited to one sandwich per week. 

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 second to open for the husband-wife duo, Chris and Amy McMillan. The McMillans are the co-owners of Northwest Arkansas Restaurant Group and its sister company, Panhandle Restaurant Group. This location will also be partly owned by Rusty Enfinger, Robert Levis and Ken Hamlin, former safety for the  Arkansas Razorbacks and Dallas Cowboys. The Springdale restaurant opening follows the recent debut of the Big Chicken in Fayetteville, which welcomed its first guests at the end of December. 

“After an explosive opening in Fayetteville, we are eager to open the doors to our second location in Springdale in January,” said Chris McMillan, the seasoned restaurateur. “We knew that our approach to BIG fun and BIG flavor would take Northwestern Arkansas by storm and are incredibly grateful for the overwhelmingly positive response from the guests who have visited our first location so far. Big Chicken is the perfect fit for the area and is exactly what Springdale needs.”

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.

“Amy and Chris bring so much energy to our franchise system and having them on our team has been nothing short of an amazing experience,” said Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken. “They knocked it out of the park in Fayetteville – bringing BIG personality and BIG fun to an already animated community. Let’s keep it GROWWWING, Springdale!”

With 300-plus locations in development nationwide for the brand, Big Chicken currently has locations open in California, Nevada, Washington, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Michigan, as well as in metro-New York’s UBS Arena, The Comcast Center in Philadelphia, The Moody Center in Austin, ASU’s Mullett Arena and the Footprint Center, 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 Springdale, visit www.bigchicken.com/springdale-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 16 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.

Follow Authentic on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

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