Franchising

Big Chicken signs 45-unit deal for Florida

Provided

September 8, 2022

Big Chicken, founded by basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal, has inked a 45-unit deal with DMD Ventures encompassing Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Joining a deal to place 40 units in the northern half of the state, the Central and South Florida territories included in this agreement close Flordia development and push its development pipeline to over 200.

"At the time, we weren't looking to add another franchise brand to our portfolio, but when we came across Big Chicken and looked into the concept, it became a no-brainer," Fred Burgess, principal, co-founder and co-CEO of DMD Ventures, said in a company press release. "The ownership behind Big Chicken includes powerhouse players in the marketing and hospitality industries, and Shaquille is one of the most trusted and respected entrepreneurs in the world. Plus, we love the food! So, with all of those elements combined, it made it extremely easy to become passionate about the brand."

DMD Ventures is a team of attorneys, developers and hospitality leaders that also own shopping centers as well as locations of Twin Peaks, Papa Johns, IHG Hotels and Go Minis Portable Storage.

In addition to the agreement with DMD Ventures, Big Chicken has plans to expand into the West Texas, Central Oklahoma, Chicagoland, Arizona, Nashville and Greater Los Angeles markets. Existing locations are open in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and in the Dayton, Ohio region, as well as Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena, metro-New York's UBS Arena, The Moody Center in Austin and on two Carnival Cruise ships.