Franchising

Big Chicken scores Texas-sized deal

provided

April 5, 2022

Big Chicken, a fast casual concept founded by basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal, is entering the four largest markets in Texas — Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

"Big Chicken is exactly the kind of brand that succeeds in Texas: pioneering and bold, yet rooted in delicious tradition," Emily Williams Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association, said in a company press release. "Our restaurant industry's rich diversity is our greatest strength, and we're absolutely thrilled that Shaquille O'Neal and the Big Chicken team are joining us. Welcome back home to Texas, Shaq."

One part of the team behind the Big Chicken Texas growth is the duo of Fazil Malik and Frank Malik, known for operating Northwest Petroleum as well as Skylark Construction, a construction company specializing in retail developments, gas stations, convenience stores, quick-serve and sit-down restaurants. The other partner involved in the franchise group is Noordin Jhaver, CEO of Dew Real Estate Holdings L.L.C., a real estate company and owner/operator of over 50 Sonic restaurants.

"It's amazing that Noordin, Fazil, and Frank have chosen their first joint venture together to be with Big Chicken," Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken, said in the release. "They have been incredibly impressive and successful, and after several conversations and meetings with our team, it was clear that this was a perfect fit. As we grow our franchise community, we are privileged that talented, multi-unit operators with this level of experience across multiple business verticals want to join our team."

In addition to the agreement with the Maliks and Jhaver, Big Chicken recently announced its upcoming franchise expansion into the West Texas, Central Oklahoma, Chicagoland, Arizona and Greater Los Angeles markets.