In October 2018, Shaquille O’Neal inaugurated his first Big Chicken Restaurant in Las Vegas. A few years later, in 2021, Shaq appointed Josh Halpern as the CEO of Big Chicken with intentions to grow the business deeply personal to him. Since then, Halpern has played a major role in expanding the chain to 18 locations across the country. As the business has grown over the years, Shaq’s children have shown interest in growing the brand further with their social media influence. In an exclusive interview with The SportsRush’s Adit Pujari, Josh Halpern claimed Big Chicken to be a family business of the O’Neals, and went into detail about the involvement of Shaq’s children in the business.
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In December of last year, Shaq’s eldest daughter, Taahirah O’Neal, shared an Instagram post capturing her visit to a Big Chicken outlet in Richmond, Texas. While donning a t-shirt with the brand’s logo, Taahirah was seen helping out the Big Chicken staff with their everyday work. This post garnered a lot of attention on social media and sparked speculations about her entering the family business.
Pujari brought up Taahirah’s trip and asked Halpern if she “has a specific role” with the brand. The 45-year-old clarified that, while she doesn’t have a set role, Shaq’s eldest daughter is heavily involved with the brand. Halpern also outlined how she has been actively rolling out ideas to further elevate the brand’s popularity.
“She [Taahirah] loves this brand. She refers to it as a family business. I honestly talk to Taahirah just as much as I talk to Shaquille. She doesn’t have like a set role with our brand. She is really really strong when it comes to marketing and public relations. She is always calling us and giving us ideas, helping us with things, connecting us with people. She has been tremendous,” Halpern told The SportsRush.
The executive then mentioned Shaq’s son Myles O’Neal, who has also helped the brand in various ways. Halpern revealed that Myles has actually connected them with a few suppliers to help expand the brand’s reach. He also pointed out how ‘Big Chicken’ isn’t just Shaq’s venture but the O’Neal family business, so everyone’s concerted efforts are responsible for its growth and prosperity.
“I think that’s the beauty in this. It’s not just Shaquille’s business, this is really the O’Neal family business,” Halpern added. He also revealed that he was with the entire O’Neal family at an event organized by Shaq’s foundation in October. During the meet-up, Shaq’s mother, Lucille O’Neal, expressed her excitement in bringing the whole family together to eat at the family’s own restaurant. That sentiment really moved Halpern, because that’s exactly the kind of warmth that is at the center of Big Chicken’s messaging to its customers.
Taahirah O’Neal and Myles O’Neal are slowly becoming an integral part of the Big Chicken restaurant chain. It will be interesting to see if both Myles and Taahirah acquire more specific roles in the company in the future.
