Shaquille O’Neal’s fried chicken chain plans to open inside this State College high-rise
Long after announcing plans to continue expanding in Pennsylvania, a restaurant chain founded by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is set to open a State College location.
Big Chicken, a fast-casual chain specializing in chicken sandwiches, wings and homestyle sides, plans to open at 448 E. College Ave. on the ground floor of the oLiv Hetzel high-rise in downtown State College. It will mark the first commercial tenant of the 12-story mixed-use building, which opened in 2024.
Kandy Weaver, the building’s commercial real estate agent, announced Big Chicken’s planned move on Facebook Monday. In an email, she said the restaurant is expected to open by the start of Penn State’s fall 2025 semester.
Big Chicken’s core menu includes a lineup of crispy or grilled chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and wings, salads, crinkle-cut fries and mac and cheese and 10 different milkshakes and ice cream sundaes. The chain, founded in 2018 and owned by JRS Hospitality and Authentic Brands, is said to combine O’Neal’s favorite childhood foods with trending flavors.
State College’s Big Chicken location will mark the company’s third in Pennsylvania, joining franchises in Philadelphia and Tannersville in the Pocono Mountains. Sixteen other states, plus some Carnival Cruise Line ships and Manchester, England, boast Big Chicken locations.
Entrepreneurs Harsimrat, Shubreet, Samarjit and Pukhraj Sidhu announced intentions to bring Big Chicken to more areas of Pennsylvania, including State College, back in October 2023. A press release announcing those plans also suggested the Sidhu family was considering bringing Big Chicken franchises to the Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton areas.
“When we first learned about Big Chicken, we did not need much convincing to franchise with them,” Harsimrat Sidhu wrote in the 2023 press release. “We fell in love with the Big Chicken flavor profile and the variety of menu items they offer. Big Chicken really felt like a family to us, and with our global perspective we are looking forward to learning and growing with them.”
Josh Halpern, Big Chicken’s CEO, also expressed excitement for expansion plans in Pennsylvania back in 2023.
“We currently have one upcoming location slated for the state of Pennsylvania, so we are BIG time excited to support the Sidhu’s in their plans for expansion across the state,” Halpern said.
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