Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken opened its first standalone Maryland restaurant on Saturday in Gambrills, planting a permanent flag in the Baltimore suburbs after testing the market with an arena concession stand. The new shop sits inside the sprawling Waugh Chapel Towne Centre at 1407 South Main Chapel Way, and it marks the fast-casual chicken chain's transition from stadium concourse to street-level storefront in the state.
The grand opening ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was free to attend, with giveaways, entertainment, and in-store surprises for the community, according to Eye On Annapolis. The first 100 guests in line received three free chicken tenders and four signature dipping sauces, a promotion Inc. Magazine notes was designed as a direct homage to O'Neal's iconic No. 34 jersey number from his playing days at LSU and with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern said Maryland showed up for the brand after its earlier launch at CFG Bank Arena, per the same outlet's report. That arena debut came in 2023 at Section 108 inside the Baltimore venue, using venue-based customer demand to test the local market before committing to a suburban retail unit, according to F&B Department. The chain has used similar arena-first strategies at venues in Phoenix, Chicago, and Palm Desert before expanding into standalone locations elsewhere.
A Local Operator With Deep Maryland Roots
Leading the Gambrills location is Pratik Patel, described in the seed report as the local entrepreneur behind the new store. Patel operates multiple locations of well-known quick-service brands across Howard and Anne Arundel counties and brings more than 15 years of hospitality experience to the venture. His broader Maryland footprint includes a Towson Paris Baguette and local Marble Slab Creamery franchises, and he signed a lease in March for another Paris Baguette bakery café in Severna Park, according to Continental Realty Corporation.
Patel said he instantly connected with Big Chicken's larger-than-life personality and its mission to bring people together through big flavor, per Eye On Annapolis. Real estate brokerage Rosso Commercial Real Estate represented Patel in securing the Gambrills site, which sits within the $275 million, 625,000-square-foot Waugh Chapel Towne Centre developed by Greenberg Gibbons and anchored by Wegmans, Target, and Regal Cinemas, according to a Facebook post from WMAR-2 News.
What's On The Menu
The Gambrills menu features crispy tenders, the brand's signature dunks, hand-spun milkshakes, and sandwiches including the Shaq Attack and the Ultimate, both built with mac and cheese and crispy onion rings. Shaq Snacks stack crispy tenders on garlic toast with bold toppings, and the chain recently launched a limited-time Big Dip Energy lineup featuring monthly dips for dunking, dipping, and drizzling, including a new Root Beer BBQ flavor.
Much of that menu traces back to O'Neal's own childhood, according to Craveworthy Brands, which notes the Cheez-It-crusted mac and cheese on the menu, named Lucille's Mac N' Cheese, honors O'Neal's mother. The chain serves hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken across its menu, the company says.
Institutional Backing Behind The Celebrity Brand
Big Chicken's national growth has increasingly leaned on corporate muscle rather than celebrity alone. In March 2025, Craveworthy Brands acquired a managing partnership and equity stake in the chain, joining co-investors O'Neal, Las Vegas hospitality firm JRS Hospitality, and Authentic Brands Group to oversee operations, supply chain, and culinary development, according to Restaurant Dive. Craveworthy also operates other fast-casual chains, including Hot Chicken Takeover and Taim Mediterranean Kitchen.
Founded in Las Vegas in 2018, Big Chicken now has more than 40 locations open across North America spanning traditional storefronts, arenas, airports, and cruise ships, with dozens more in development. The chain was named one of 1851 Franchise's 2026 Fastest Growing Emerging Franchises, and it began franchising in late 2021 before partnering with Craveworthy in 2025, per 1851 Franchise.
O'Neal's track record as a franchise investor extends well beyond chicken. His portfolio has helped drive his estimated net worth to $500 million as of this year, generating more than $95 million annually from ventures that once included 155 Five Guys locations — about 10% of that chain — before he sold his stake in 2016 to fund new concepts, according to Entrepreneur.
Betting On A Growing Chicken Market
The Gambrills opening lands amid strong momentum for fast-casual chicken nationally. Visits to quick-service and fast-casual chicken chains rose 4.3% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2024, consistently outperforming the broader fast-casual dining industry, according to Placer.ai. The overall U.S. fast-casual restaurant market is projected to grow from $144.8 billion in 2024 to $230 billion by 2030.
Still, Big Chicken's expansion hasn't been uniformly smooth. Hoodline has previously reported on the Fort Worth store's sudden closure, along with shutdowns in Las Vegas and a short-lived Tacoma location, suggesting that long-term viability at the street level depends heavily on site selection and franchisee operations rather than celebrity branding alone. For now, the Gambrills location is positioned to serve the Baltimore suburbs and the greater DMV region, open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The restaurant can be reached at 443-548-1307.
