Tougher Than Ivy League Honor, Shaquille O’Neal’s Righthand Man Unearths One Reason Behind 3000 Rejections

If you think Google is a fun place to work at, Big Chicken is here to blow it out of the water. Apart from being originated and designed by Shaquille O’Neal himself, the fast-casual dining concept is bursting with Big Diesel’s personality. He is, of course, the main appeal of Big Chicken, not only for diners but also the franchisees. If you want to work with Shaq, you need to follow some dos and don’ts as listed by someone who has all of the magnanimous giant’s trust.

While on the latest edition of ES Fancast, the CEO of Big Chicken, Josh Halpern dropped the shocking bodycount of franchisee proposals. If you want to get to Big Aristotle, you have to go through this guy.

Shaquille O’Neal’s righthand man is tough to please

After being a franchisee for other companies, Shaquille O’Neal has built a certain standard. With at least 155 restaurants in his portfolio, he is going to double that in the coming months. At least 300+ locations of Big Chicken are in development across the nation under CEO Josh Halpern’s leadership.

Being a part of this 300-strong national family is not easy. It’s Halpern’s duty to filter out the real entrepreneurs and those who just want to be in the Big Aristotle circle.

Intent on building a franchisee-first business, the CEO expects professionalism from applicants.

On the ES Fancast, Halpern said the latest estimate of franchisees he’s rejected is 3000. A few weeks ago, the number was 2500. It’s a running joke started by Halpern that getting into Big Chicken is tougher than getting into an Ivy League.

He said the easiest way to get a franchise application rejected was through the opening statement itself. “Half of the applications we rejected literally start with ‘Yo Shaq, I’ll open up a chicken joint with you.'” Sure Big Diesel is cool and easy-going but he’s very serious when it comes to his love for chicken.

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Some entrepreneurs have cracked the code.

Through new deals, the first franchisees of multiple Big Chicken locations have been confirmed in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Tennessee, and Northern Mississippi. Once candidates make a decent first impression, Halpern scrutinizes them on very specific aspects.

Cracking the Big Chicken Shaq code

Depending on the location, size, and several factors, opening a single unit of Big Chicken can cost around $1.4 million. To not make that investment go to waste, Halpern ensures applicants are not just there to meet O’Neal.

Big Chicken is working with locally-based bigger groups and operators who boast the experience of operating multi-unit franchises.

Like Big Chicken’s Washington-based franchisee, Tony Puckett, who has managed multiple units of The Cheesecake Factory and Subway before. “Because a franchise-based company like we are is only as strong as the weakest franchisee.”

With Halpern’s leadership, even the “weakest franchisee” in Big Chicken is the best. Now that you know what to expect, are your applications to join Big Chicken ready?

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