Losing Out on Charles Barkley’s Presence, Shaquille O’Neal’s New Big Chicken Joint to Open Near TNT Co-Host’s Namesake Location

Subway may have taken Charles Barkley from him but the chicken sandwich mogul won’t relent. Shaquille O’Neal has secured a new location for a new Big Chicken restaurant with an indirect connection to Sir Charles. The next Big Chicken Shaq restaurant in Louisiana will open in the city of Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana.

The move is, of course, precious to Shaq in more than one way. Lake Charles is a couple of hours from Louisiana State University, his alma mater. It’s the perfect place to bring O’Neal’s childhood favorite dishes through Big Chicken’s nostalgia-driven menu to the Bayou.

Another connection is obviously the name that matches O’Neal’s TNT best mate, Charles Barkley. Previously, he was featured in the Big Chicken menu in a major way. Known for naming the dishes after loved ones, Shaq christened one of the newest sandwiches the ‘Charles Barkley.’

The fried chicken sandwich was topped with mac and cheese, crispy fried onions, and roasted garlic barbecue aioli. Shaq described it as “sloppy,” just like its namesake. He’s similarly named the Cheez-it crusted mac and cheese after his mom, Lucille, and the Uncle Jerome after his bodyguard who puts hot sauce on everything.

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Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken revealed, since Chuck signed with Subway, he can’t associate with Shaq’s sandwich anymore. Hence the erstwhile Charles Barkley sandwich was renamed to the ‘Big & Sloppy.’

Now, Big Chicken is affiliated with another ‘Charles.’ One that’s connected to Shaq’s LSU roots. Leading the charge once again, is Josh Halpern.

Shaq’s CEO brings Big Chicken to Tigers territory

Josh Halpern filters out franchisees based on experience handling multiple units. Claiming it’s tougher to join the Big Chicken operations than an Ivy League school, he discards thousands of applications on the regular. Serious applicants like Gul and Vick Awan make the cut.

The Awan family has a background running retail and restaurant businesses for 35 years. Vick introduced his family to Big Chicken and got them on board. The Awan family has taken the initiative of bringing Shaq’s fast casual dining concept to Louisiana.

After opening the Big Chicken outlet at Baton Rouge’s The Queen Casino in 2022, they have narrowed down on a Lake Charles location. They’re hoping to find a site in Lafayette soon too.

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