Franchising

Big Chicken hitting up Ohio with 36-unit deal

Provided

April 25, 2023

Shaquille O'Neal-owned Big Chicken is creating a big presence in Ohio via a 36-unit development agreement with Kurt and Ryan Webb, Trever Einerson and Steve Crandall, according to a company press release.

"Our team is super excited to bring big flavor, big food and big fun to the people of Ohio," Ryan Webb, who will primarily oversee the operations of the ownership group's restaurants, said in the release. "When we first learned about Big Chicken, we were attracted to the idea of getting in on the ground floor of an inventive concept with a top-tier product. Collectively, we've been in the restaurant industry with other well-known QSR franchises for a long time, and are excited to see where this agreement takes us."

Prior to ownership with Big Chicken, Kurt Webb and Einerson cultivated backgrounds in real estate development, while Ryan Webb and Crandall honed their operations prowess with several franchise brands in the QSR industry. The men are in the process of selecting the site for their first restaurant, focusing on drive-thru or in-line build outs in the Columbus area.

"Kurt, Ryan, Steve and Trever will bring a new level of operations sophistication and excellence to the Big Chicken franchise system, and we're thrilled to have them on board," Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern said in the release.

In addition to the agreement with the quartet, Big Chicken has locations open in Las Vegas (Paradise Road and Tropicana Ave.), Los Angeles (Glendale and Valencia); Seattle; Houston; and in the Dayton, Ohio region, as well as in metro-New York's UBS Arena, The Moody Center in Austin, ASU's Mullett Arena, Palm Spring's Acrisure Arena, St. Louis's Busch Stadium, Kansas City International Airport and on three Carnival Cruise ships.