Big things are happening at Big Chicken. The larger-than-life personality, Shaquille O’Neal, has never hesitated to help people. When he sees others doing the same, he joins them to encourage and help set an example for the rest. Just recently, the basketball star organized lunch for 1,000 kids. Following this, Big Chicken welcomed the heroes who are working for a noble cause.

The 26th annual Chet Buchanan Show Toy Drive has just ended. This year, it collected 42 Coca-Cola trucks filled with toys and 7,674 bicycles. It also raised $786,894 in cash and gift cards, which will go on to benefit the Help of Southern Nevada. Buchanan asked people not only to contribute but also to join them as volunteers to experience how their help positively impacts families.

After the mission, O’Neal’s Big Chicken decided to surprise the hardworking volunteers with Big Chicken lunch packages. “@HELPSoNV + @985KLUC @ChetBuchanan Show Toy Drive = BIG results: 42 Trucks of Toys, 7,674 Bikes, & $786,894 in Gift Cards! 🎁 To show our BIG appreciation, we surprised their amazing volunteers with a catered Big Chicken lunch! 🐔🔥🙌 #KLUCToyDrive #BigChickenShaq,” the official X page of Big Chicken posted.

This gesture is not so surprising. During each and every opening, the first 34 lucky customers get free food from Big Chicken (up to $10 per week) for an entire year. Every Big Chicken opening has followed this tradition. Big Chicken is a celebrity in its own realm, becoming a community hero for the kind souls who volunteered for a noble cause. But the road for Shaq’s beloved Big Chicken wasn’t always smooth.

Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken survived storms for  weeks 

It was O’Neal who contacted the CEO and founder of PRP, Perry Rogers, and started Big Chicken. The two worked hard to create a brand that reflects O’Neal’s persona. The beginning wasn’t smooth. They made many mistakes, learned from them, and continued to forge ahead. In a recent interview with Shawn Walchef, host of Restaurant Influencers, during the 2024 Big Chicken franchisee conference in Las Vegas, Rogers opened up about the trials and tribulations.

“We got a lot of things wrong — too much space, too many seats, even the design. If you look at life as a continuous improvement journey, it’s not a big risk to fail,” Rogers said.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend’s Big Chicken faced issues with the design of the restaurants as well. Rogers knew that this new initiative wasn’t just about catering to people. More than that, it was built to forge a connection with them. “Shaquille is all about being authentic and transparent. When you’re willing to show the ups and downs, it builds trust with your audience. People can see that you’re not afraid to fail, and that creates a strong connection with your customers,” Rogers said.

 It fearlessly embraced new trends while staying authentic. Following that, Josh Halpern was hired as the CEO. Halpern also brought a new definition to it. Right now, it’s one of the most popular restaurants, with further plans to expand.