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Perry Rogers, CEO and laminitis of sports guidance and patient consulting institution PRP, has managed immoderate superstar athletes and Hollywood stars. He too built a successful edifice company, JRS Hospitality, pinch galore basking spots connected nan Las Vegas Strip.
Those experiences prepared him to partner pinch his customer Shaquille O'Neal to create a genuinely larger-than-life edifice brand. Big Chicken is simply a testament to collaboration, imagination and fun.
Related: Shaquille O'Neal Used an Unconventional Strategy to Start His Chicken Restaurant — Here's Why It Worked
Building a bequest for Shaquille O'Neal
The communicative of Big Chicken began pinch a question. "Shaquille came to maine successful 2017 and said, 'You've built this ample edifice company. What personification you built for me?'" Perry Rogers told Shawn Walchef, large of Restaurant Influencers, astatine nan 2024 Big Chicken franchisee normal successful Las Vegas.
O'Neal wasn't conscionable looking for an investment—he wanted a legacy. Rogers and his squad sewage to work, creating a conception that really reflected O'Neal's personality.
"We thought astir what fits Shaquille, what reflects his values, his persona and came up pinch Big Chicken," Rogers says.
The first motorboat was successful Las Vegas successful 2018. They spent 2 years refining nan conception earlier expanding further. Despite his extended experience, Rogers admits nan early days of Big Chicken were a learning curve.
"Our [other] restaurants were each full-service, big-volume operations. This was different," he explains. Fast-casual eating was a afloat caller ballgame.
Even pinch meticulous planning, nan first location was afloat of unexpected challenges. "We sewage a batch of things incorrect — excessively overmuch space, excessively galore seats, moreover nan design," Rogers says. But those hurdles became opportunities for growth. "If you look astatine life arsenic a continuous betterment journey, it's not a ample consequence to fail."
Related: He Discovered His Favorite Sandwich Shop successful College. Now He Runs It – and Has 155 Locations.
Embracing caller media
Rogers and his squad knew from nan commencement that Big Chicken was overmuch than conscionable a restaurant. It was a style meant for storytelling.
Inspired by O'Neal's fearless onslaught to business and branding, they launched a Facebook Watch bid called Building successful Public. Fans could watch nan behind-the-scenes process of building Big Chicken successful real-time.
"Shaquille is each astir being authentic and transparent," Rogers says. "When you're consenting to show nan ups and downs, it builds spot pinch your audience. People tin spot that you're not acrophobic to fail, and that creates a beardown narration pinch your customers."
Spreading your marque connected each valuable media level is simply a full-time job. The Big Chicken squad had to study nan nuances of a fast-casual concept, including its size, space, taxable and merchandise mix. However, they remained committed to changeless betterment and iteration.
Building successful nationalist taught them astir themselves and nan brand, arsenic bully arsenic really to usage societal media effectively. By nan clip they were caller to scale, they felt assured that they had a merchandise customers genuinely loved.
Related: Her Restaurant Business Is Worth $100 Million — Here's Her Unconventional Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
For Rogers, collaboration is cardinal to Big Chicken's success. He credits O'Neal's bold imagination and authenticity arsenic nan halfway of their identity. "Shaquille looks astatine life like, 'If my intentions are right, I don't petition to worry,'" Rogers said. Eventually, things did autumn into place, but they needed help.
Hiring Josh Halpern arsenic CEO was a ample turning point. "We needed personification who knew what they were doing," Rogers says. Halpern's expertise allowed Big Chicken to standard responsibly, ensuring nan marque stayed existent to its ngo while expanding nan business.
Big Chicken has grown importantly since its first location, pinch location and world explanation s connected nan horizon. "We conscionable opened our first outlet successful nan UK, successful Manchester, and we're building successful Honduras successful 2025," Rogers says.
At nan bosom of Big Chicken's occurrence is its attraction connected hospitality. "The stores that do bully are nan ones wherever nan owners are greeting nan customers," Rogers says. "If nan customers don't consciousness that Shaquille love, there's a disconnect."
For Rogers, nan edifice manufacture is astir overmuch than business — it's a calling. "If you don't want nan changeable of hosting people, don't get successful this industry," he says. But for those who emotion creating joyousness done nutrient and hospitality, nan rewards are unmatched.
As Big Chicken continues to grow, Rogers remains focused connected honoring O'Neal's imagination and crafting that legacy. "My business is to build nan business that Shaquille wants to have," he says. With each caller restaurant, they're not conscionable serving meals — they're creating moments of narration and community.
Related: This Chef Went From Dreaming of Michelin Stars to Building an Audience arsenic a YouTube Star
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