Shaquille O’Neal-Owned Big Chicken Opens at Austin’s New, High-Profile Moody Center

Fast Casual Chicken Concept Continues Arena Expansion, Bringing BIG Flavors

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin is about to satisfy the raging appetites of hyped concertgoers and fervent sports fans with the opening of Shaquille O’Neal-owned Big Chicken in Austin’s new home for premier events and entertainment – the Moody Center.

Situated on the University of Texas-Austin campus and within one of the nation’s most vibrant music scenes, the highly anticipated $388 million arena will open its doors to eager audiophiles at the end of April after nearly two years of construction. Featuring cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-line design elements, Moody Center will deliver a concert experience like no other with the world’s most legendary names in music. Along with sold-out 15,000-plus seat concerts, the arena will also be the proud home of the Texas Longhorns women’s and men’s basketball teams. As a part of this historic public-private development, which will be a top destination for decades to come, Big Chicken will open within the venue on April 19  in advance of the arena’s grand opening.

“We’ve got BIG plans for Texas, including our recent franchise development agreement to bring 50 locations to the state. Our Moody Center location is just the start,” said Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken. “The arena is set to host some of Austin’s biggest entertainment and sporting events, and we couldn’t be happier to be part of it. We are thrilled to be working with Oak View Group to offer Big Chicken to the stadium’s guests.”

Marking the brand’s third location within one of America’s recently opened, premier sports and entertainment venues, the Moody Center’s Big Chicken joins locations at Seattle’s new Climate Pledge Arena and UBS Arena in New York. Offerings at the new Moody Center location include the Stubbs Longhorn (Chicken, Pulled Pork, Smoked Gouda, Stubbs BBQ Sauce), the M.D.E. Chicken (Shaq Sauce, chicken breast and B&B Pickles) and Uncle Jerome (Nashville hot chicken, mayo and pickles), along with chicken tenders, fries, sodas, ice cream sandwiches and a BIG Cookie, which is the circumference of an NBA basketball.

In addition to the Moody Center, UBS Arena, and Climate Pledge Arena, Big Chicken has locations open in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and two Carnival Cruise Ships, with more than 150 locations in its development pipeline. The most recent agreement was for a 50-unit deal across Texas with the talented, Texas-based owner/operator team of Fazil Malik, Frank Malik and Noordin Jhaver. The Maliks and Jhaver have known each other since their first roles in the convenience and restaurant industries, almost 30 years ago. Now, their first joint venture will be opening 50 Big Chicken locations in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. 

Ideal franchisees are multi-unit operators who trust and understand the established system Big Chicken has in place and have the capital to open several units. Restaurant experience — whether traditional or not — is preferred, but not required. With significant interest from new owners, franchise investors will have the advantage to join a brand on the cusp of worldwide expansion. 

To learn more about the Big Chicken franchise opportunity, visit: www.bigchicken.com/franchise-information

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 two traditional locations currently open and several in the development pipeline, Big Chicken is prepped to begin U.S. and international expansion through franchising.

About Moody Center

Opening April 20, 2022, Moody Center at The University of Texas will host the biggest names in the music industry alongside nail-biting Longhorns basketball games and other local events. Austin’s newest world-class entertainment venue was designed with music in mind through a groundbreaking partnership between Oak View Group, Live Nation/C3 Presents, The University of Texas at Austin and Minister of Culture, Matthew McConaughey. The 525,000 square foot arena will host over 15,000 fans at more than 150 events every year with the aim of becoming one of the top 10 arenas in the country.

Located on University of Texas at Austin’s campus, Moody Center is conveniently located at the heart of Central Austin. Replacing the former Frank Erwin Center, it is situated adjacent to Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium and just off of Interstate 35. With parking available at University of Texas parking garages, guests can easily access the venue via car as well as by rideshare options.

Upcoming events at Moody Center include John Mayer for two days on April 20 and April 21, Bon Jovi on April 23, and Justin Bieber on April 27.

For additional information, please visit https://moodycenteratx.com/ or @MoodyCenterATX on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.