Where Guy Fieri failed, Shaquille O’Neal might succeed. The celebrity chef and the NBA legend go way back and have a few things in common. They’re the kings of Super Bowl parties, they subscribe to the same parenting playbook, and their respective businesses are the highlights of the Carnival Cruise Line. Now they have another thing in common. Partially. O’Neal’s grand 20+ locations expansion plans for Big Chicken in Michigan has set its sights on Livonia. The city’s first Shaq-tastic restaurant will replace Guy Fieri’s shortlived venture.

The Food Network icon opened his fast casual chain, Chicken Guy in 30130 Plymouth Road in early 2023. It was the first of many restaurants in Guy’s Farmington Hills-based restaurant group. It launched with huge fanfare and free milkshakes. But on June 30, it shuttered after only a year of operations.

The same gray brick building spot of the defunct Chicken Guy now bears a banner of O’Neal holding a milkshake and announcing a Big Chicken Shaq coming soon. His business partners at JRS Hospitality collaborated with Michigan’s H&D Group Investments in 2023 to open multiple stores in the state. The first of Michigan’s Big Chicken opened in Clio and more are in development. The new Livonia store could enjoy the same success though it faces the same challenges Guy Fieri did.

On paper, both restaurants feel identical. Chicken Guy has chicken sandwiches, three kinds of salads, fries, mac and cheese, cole slaw and fried pickle chips. Big Chicken celebrates Shaq’s love for the humble chicken sandwich, his mom’s special cheez-it crusted mac and cheese, and the Big And Sloppy sandwich that has a roasted garlic aioli.

The fast casual dining landscape for chicken lovers has become crowded in the past year. Fieri’s restaurant couldn’t compete with them. Despite not being a seasoned restauranter like the Emmy-winning chef, O’Neal has a way of thriving in competition both on the court and in the restaurant biz.

Shaq’s survived against big competitors

Like Big Chicken, Tomey Group’s Chicken Guy also had a 20-location plan in Michigan. But earlier this year, they announced the decision to close in Livonia due to “unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.” A new Chick-Fil-A had opened in the same area mere weeks before Chicken Guy. Another Michigan-based chain, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, is in the same area. Over months, social media users witnessed the other restaurants drawing more footfall than Fieri’s.

It’s unpredictable if Big Chicken will suffer the same fate. Especially when an identically named Chicken Shack is nearby. But O’Neal’s group is succeeding in Texas, a chicken-lover’s heaven with the options in this state. He’s also experienced in franchising with Krispy Kreme and Papa John’s. His business partners have strategically expanded into sports arenas and made Big Chicken a sports-viewing staple.

His fame has been the primary draw to Big Chicken. But people return for the food inspired by the ’70s. Big Chicken also poses stiff competition to Fieri’s restaurant on the Carnival Cruise Lines.

His crew haven’t given a timeline for Big Chicken’s opening in Livonia. Yet Shaq might have a chance of pulling what Fieri didn’t.