Shaquille O’Neal, Who Paid Over $100 Million to Own 155 Restaurants, Expands Another Food Business with Latest Victory

Shaquille O’Neal has registered another win in his post-retirement career after reaching an agreement with Tennessee restaurateur Jim Richards to expand his Big Chicken business in Tennessee. ‘The Big Diesel’ intends to spread his franchise across the Volunteer state in 10 different locations. As it turns out, Shaquille O’Neal is set to open new restaurants in Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga.

Shaq founded his Big Chicken franchise in 2018 to specifically cater to the needs of the average American. The restaurant chain excels in providing a home recipe feeling in chicken-based meals at an affordable price. Needless to say, the dishes served at the restaurant bear the branding of the Lakers legend.

For example, dishes like ‘The Big Aristotle’ and ‘Shaq Attack’, among others, are popular among customers. Soon, these services will be available to the people of Tennessee at different locations.

Shaquille O’Neal to expand his Big Chicken franchise in Tennessee

Shaquille O’Neal has managed to secure a partnership with prominent restaurateur Jim Richards to expand his business in the Volunteer state. Richards owns and actively runs 13 Five Guys restaurants at different locations across Tennessee and North Georgia.

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Furthermore, he has lived in the region for over 40 years. Therefore, he has extensive knowledge of the tastes of the local populace. In addition, Richards has experience spanning over four decades in the restaurant industry.

“Jim’s extensive experience in restaurant ownership is extremely impressive and his excitement about the business is infectious,” said Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern. “Nashville is a prime market and one we’ve been excited to expand into and Knoxville and Chattanooga are incredible college town markets that we’re excited to enter as well.”

Shaq’s stint with the food industry

Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal continues to make giant strides in the food industry. In fact, a large chunk of his $400 million net worth can be ascribed to profits from his restaurant chains.

As it turns out, the Hall-of-Famer’s restaurant empire once consisted of 17 Auntie Anne’s, one Krispy Kreme franchise, multiple Papa Johns and 155 Five Guys outlets. The whole laundry list of restaurants amounts to about $127 million.

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Currently, Shaq is focused on expanding his Big Chicken franchise throughout the country. He has plans to open restaurants in over 150 different locations across different states in the Union.