June 26th 2023.
Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken restaurant in Houston opened with a bang! The turnout for the grand opening was so massive that the fire marshal was summoned to try and manage the huge crowd. People had come from all across Houston, parking their vehicles in both sides of Westheimer between South Gessner and Tanglewilde.
The NBA All-Star was in attendance, greeting and taking photos with customers. Shaq expressed his appreciation for the immense love shown by the people of Houston. “I’ve been living here for 30 years. I just want to thank the people of Houston for coming out. I love the turnout, but if it was ten people or one hundred people, I’m going to be thankful.”
In 2022, the NBA Hall of Famer signed a deal to place 50 Big Chicken restaurants in Texas. Starting with the opening in Houston, he intends to put restaurants in four of the largest Texas markets— including Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. Shaq said, “This is my creation—Excuse me, this is my mama’s creation. Coming where we come from, me and this little guy had to eat chicken a lot,” referring to his brother. “Chicken sandwiches, chicken tacos, chicken, everything. When the opportunity came to create this franchise, we had a meeting and sold over 250. This is the first to open in Houston. I just wanted people to come out, so I’m paying for everything today. Try it. If you like it, cool. If you don’t, let me know why because we want to make this one of the best restaurants out here.”
Once the fire marshal had to shut the restaurant down, Shaq stayed outside with the crowd. He signed autographs, took photographs, and interacted with the people who had come to show their support. It was a wonderful way for the NBA All-Star to show his appreciation for the people of Houston.
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