“I’m not in this to become a trillionaire,” said Shaquille O’Neal when discussing expanding his ‘Big Chicken‘ line of restaurants. Even if you may not have eaten there yet, you must have heard of the chicken sandwiches and tenders, the mac and cheese, the shakes, and the wings that make one’s mouth water. The Lakers legend was able to create an impressive menu. And guess who helped with that? His mother. However, as he highlighted above, expansion and improvement often need some outside help too. Now, with the help of a new investor, the former hoops star turned businessman is looking to take his business to new heights.
‘Restaurant Business’ journalist Lisa Jennings recently expanded on details about the new collaboration between Shaq and Craveworthy Brands. Back in March, it was announced that the portfolio/innovative multi-restaurant platform company will become a managing partner, investor, and stakeholder of Big Chicken. Jax Sperling, who has been Craveworthy’s Vice President of Culinary and Supply Chain since February 2025, recently revealed that the new partnership involves expanding the already impressive menu. This would involve bringing out new categories, new flavors, etc, that will bring Big Chicken “back to its essence”.
One major change will be the introduction of ‘Shaq Snacks’, which will feature five sandwiches of a smaller size, with a chicken tender tucked into a split-top bun with various toppings. Kind of like a lobster roll, but with chicken. If you haven’t had dinner yet, this might not have been the best thing for you to read right now!
The ‘Shaq Snacks’ in itself will be a unique concept since, as Sperling highlighted, “For Shaq, it’s a snack, but for some of us, it’s a meal”. Remember, the ‘Big Chicken’ restaurants are the same place known for serving extraordinarily large portions, involving everything from big or bigger soft drinks, to larger-than-normal chicken breasts. After all, if you are going to promote yourself as a place that serves the kind of food the 7-foot-1-inch and 325-pound star enjoys, you can’t serve the portions seen in ‘The Bear’. For those who like fast food, but don’t want to over-indulge themselves, ‘Shaq Snacks’ are the perfect thing to pick.
Don’t worry, though! For those who come to ‘Big Chicken’ for the big portions, the collaboration with Craveworthy Brands is making worthwhile additions to them, too. Earlier, the restaurant chain was known for having the former Los Angeles Lakers star’s “home-cooked childhood favorites”, ranging from Louisiana-style fried chicken sandwiches and Steak Fries to cookies that are as big as basketballs. Sperling wanted to go even more ambitious, stating that “My goal was to make Shaq’s hands look small. I’m not sure if I got that far, but they are very large sandwiches.” These sandwiches are part of a new line that makes things “funner”.
One of the new items is ‘The Pit Boss’, containing fried chicken topped with barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, fried cheese curds, pickles, and onion rings. Another is the Philly Fadeaway, a variation on the Philly Cheesesteak! Well, all we can say is that if you ever get the chance to go to ‘Big Chicken’, you better bring a big appetite.
The Big Chicken menu was originally designed by Shaq with dishes named after his mother and relatives. Now, they are shifting, or adding more corporate marketing-designed menu items with bite-sized kiosks. It still remains to be seen what effect these new additions will have on the business that, according to Growjo, generates an estimated $74.6 million in annual revenue. If the new concepts don’t work, the additional costs can affect the business. If there is one thing Shaquille O’Neal cannot afford to do right now, it is to lose money. After all, he has already lost quite a portion due to his recent legal troubles.
Shaquille O’Neal’s NFT and Crypto Investments cost him $12.8 million in lawsuits
Remember when NFTs and Cryptocurrencies gained traction? Well, several businessmen thought of it as a lucrative business opportunity. Everyone from Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Klay Thompson looked to improve their business portfolio by becoming a part of these digital concepts. Unfortunately, a collaboration did not work out for many, including Shaquille O’Neal.
Back in November 2024, the 4x NBA champion quietly agreed to a class action settlement worth $11 million for promoting Astrals NFTs. The decision was made after a year-long back-and-forth legal battle regarding the former NBA player’s work with Astral Project. Shaq and his son, Myles O’Neal, founded Astrals Project, which reportedly launched a collection of 10,000 3D NFT avatars (designed by artist Damien Guimoneau). According to the claims made by the Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, the NFTs allegedly promoted investment in a virtual world in which users could socialize, play, and interact with other users. Unfortunately, Shaq was soon sued amid accusations that he endorsed unregistered Astral tokens, serving as an alleged violation of securities laws.
The $11 million settlement wasn’t the end of the road for Shaq. Back in June, he also agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle claims amidst allegations that he misled investors by promoting the now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. Shaq once served as the brand’s spokesperson, along with other high-profile celebrities like NFL legend Tom Brady, his ex-wife and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, and Larry David. In the middle of issues related to rumors of unethical and fraudulent inter-company transfers of client funds, customer withdrawals problems, etc, the company filed for bankruptcy, and Shaq and the other spokespeople also had to pay the price.
Despite the losses, Shaq remains the proud holder of a $500 million net worth. However, you can always make more money. With any luck, the ‘Big Chicken’ brand helps him out with the same.
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