Shaq’s Big Chicken Opening Date Set For Lubbock

Shaquille O’Neal is known for a lot of different things: basketball, rapping, acting, and now owning a fried chicken chain restaurant.

Back in April 2022, I told y'all he was opening this store called Big Chicken. He was set to open 50 stores in the Lone Star state. I know a lot of people that tried it and said it is really good.

Soon Lubbock will be able to try it as well.

Big Chicken's menu consists of fried chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and sides. A lot of the menu items are named after important individuals from O’Neal’s family and career. The best-selling menu item is the Uncle Jerome, named after a childhood friend. The one in Lubbock will have about 11 menu items.

Lubbock native Coby Jones is ready to show his hometown what the BIG deal is about Shaquille O’Neal-owned Big Chicken, the global phenomenon that has been heralded as one of “America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals” and named this year’s “Top Mover and Shaker” by Fast Causal.

Honestly, I can't wait to get there all the food sounds amazing. My mom has had it in Austin and said it was really good. I mean look at all these endless options.

The restaurant will be opening at 7411 Milwaukee Avenue, Lubbock, TX. The old Chinese Kitchen location. Jones, a proud Lubbock native who began his career with a local restaurant group in 1989, is set to open the doors of his first Big Chicken restaurant on August 6, 2024. The new establishment is located at 7411 Milwaukee Ave, conveniently situated across from The Hub Shopping Center at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and 76th Street. He’s invited residents and chicken enthusiasts from far and wide to join in on the celebration and will be offering free food and drink for a year* to the first 34 guests in line as a nod to O’Neal’s iconic jersey number.

“As I ready to open my first location in the town I grew up in, I’ve been reflecting on all the hard work we’ve put in to get to this point. Nothing would have been possible without the guidance of the Big Chicken leadership team and other Texas-based groups who have paved the way in other cities throughout the state,” said Coby Jones, who plans to develop a total of six Big Chicken locations from Lubbock to Oklahoma City. “I hope the city enjoys the food just as much as I do, especially the students at nearby Texas Tech University, my Alma Mater. The bold flavors and Shaquille-sized portions are the perfect fit for this rapidly growing city.”

The owners are also supposed to be here the first week they are open so I am hoping that means Shaq too. I would wait in line to meet him for sure!!!!

Here are some of the menu items that folks are looking forward to tasting at "Big Chicken"

• The Original Big Chicken sandwich
• Uncle Jerome’s Nashville Hot (Nashville Hot Chicken, lettuce, mayo, and pickles),
• The Ultimate (mac & cheese, crispy fried onions, and roasted garlic BBQ aioli)
• Crispy crinkle-cut fries
• Delicious ice cream milkshakes

You can find out more about Big Chicken at its official website.