Big Diesel to Big Chicken: How Shaquille O'Neal is Leading his Restaurant Empire to Victory

Known as simply “Shaq” to millions, Shaquille O’Neal entered the hearts and minds of basketball fans — and the world — as a big kid with a dominant game, and a smile to match.

After a prolific 20 year NBA career that saw him also release platinum-selling music and star in box office smash movies, O’Neal brings his championship mentality, larger-than-life persona, and an already extensive entrepreneurial portfolio to new heights with Big Chicken, a fast-casual chicken concept that reflects his love for bold flavors and big portions.

Watch now to learn about being resourceful in marketing, Shaq’s social media strategy, and becoming a part of the Big Chicken team.

Chapters:
[03:09] - Big Chicken Origin Story
[04:55] - Big Chicken as a Family Business
[05:35] - Using Free Marketing
[09:14] - Shaq on Finding His Voice
[11:26] - The Harvard of Franchises
[16:25] - The Big Podcast with Shaq
[20:19] - Why Shaq is Nice to Kids
[22:27] - Message to Future Franchisees

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —
Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

• Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc


WALMART BUSINESS —
We are super excited that Walmart Business now has an app that we can order business supplies from directly and save time so we can get back to running our restaurant.
Shop any way you want – in store or online – and get everything you need for your business delivered, shipped or picked up curbside from your local store.
Just use the app to conveniently access everything you need right from your phone.
It's the Walmart you love, now for your business.

• WALMART BUSINESS: https://business.walmart.com/

Episode Links:
Big Chicken Online: https://www.bigchicken.com/
Big Chicken Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigchickenshaq/
Big Chicken TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bigchickenshaq
Big Chicken Franchise Information: https://www.bigchicken.com/franchise-information
Shaquille O’Neal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaq/
Shaq (aka DJ Diesel) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@djdiesel
The Big Podcast w/ Shaq: https://open.spotify.com/show/0guAc2jbnOD2TviAU8K9eN?si=aee160104df4462c

Takeaways:
Building in Public - Shaquille O’Neal took the unconventional route of building in public when initially marketing Big Chicken. For him, filming and producing the Big Chicken Shaq Show on Facebook Watch was a resourceful way to get the word out to as many people as possible.

Social Media Strategy - Shaquille O’Neal is known as much for his big personality as he is for his on court dominance. His more than 35 million followers on Instagram are entertained with a strategic mixture of laughter, inspiration, and updates.

Joining the Big Chicken Team - Shaquille O’Neal has one message for interested Big Chicken franchisees: It is a true Team. Big Chicken has more than 350 locations in development and is even on four Carnival Cruise Ships. Everyone involved are important pieces to winning “championships”.

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ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —
Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com
Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://betheshow.media