Operations

Big Chicken going to 'infinity and beyond'

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February 9, 2023

Shaquille O'Neal-OwnedBig Chicken is planning to be the first restaurant in space, and is teaming up with Blue Origin, founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, to feed the imaginations of the next generation of explorers.

"We've always said "Go BIG' when asked about growth plans for Big Chicken," Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern said in a company press release. "Now, with Blue Origin, we're going as BIG as we can by advancing the dream of running restaurants in space.

"When I think about what Shaquille stands for — BIG fun and pursuing BIG dreams – this relationship aligns perfectly with Blue Origin's vision to enable millions of people to live and work in space for the benefit of Earth."

Blue Origin's nonprofit, Club for the Future, will partner with Big Chicken's leadership team and O'Neal as Club Ambassadors to inspire and engage students. Club for the Future will launch community outreach programs at Big Chicken restaurants, including inviting patrons to draw their vision of the future on Postcards to Space. Blue Origin will fly the postcards on a future New Shepard mission, stamp them "flown to space," and return them to the creators.

"Living and working in space for the benefit of Earth should be delicious. Shaq's Big Chicken and Club for the Future will fuel students' appetites and minds as they pursue careers in STEM, all while delivering some of Earth's tastiest foods to space," Michael Edmonds, SVP, Strategy, Marketing, and Sales of Blue Origin, and president of Club for the Future, said in the release.

"I'm proud to team up with Blue Origin to help inspire the next generation," said Shaquille O'Neal, who opened the first Big Chicken location in 2018. "This first-of-its-kind partnership is a game changer and I'm excited to take the chicken sandwich game to a whole new level."

In addition to the collaboration with Blue Origin, Big Chicken also has plans to expand in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Chicagoland, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nashville, and Greater Los Angeles. Existing locations are currently open in Las Vegas (Paradise Road and Tropicana Avenue); Los Angeles (Glendale and; Valencia); Seattle (Climate Pledge Arena and Renton); and in the Dayton, Ohio region, as well as metro-New York's UBS Arena, The Moody Center in Austin, ASU's Mullett Arena, Palm Springs' Acrisure Arena and on three Carnival Cruise ships. The chain will also open restaurants in Houston, Gilbert (Arizona), Kansas City, and St Louis in the next six weeks. Tailored for skilled restaurant owner/operator groups, the franchise investment has been designed to align with successful, multi-unit investors who want to become part of Shaquille's dream team.

Blue Origin was founded with a vision of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth