A restaurant chain founded by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is planning to open a State College location.
Fast casual chain Big Chicken is expanding its presence in Pennsylvania under franchisees Harsimrat, Shubreet, Samarjit and Pukhraj Sidhu, with State College one of the first locations for development, according to a news release.
“We are super excited to bring more BIG flavor, BIG food and BIG fun to the people of Pennsylvania,” Harsimrat Sidhu said in a statement. “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.”
A location for the State College restaurant has not yet been finalized and an opening date will be dependent on the site, according to a Big Chicken spokesperson.
“The team is actively looking for real estate in the area as has not yet signed a lease for a location,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to StateCollege.com “The opening timeline will depend heavily on the format and the construction needs of the site.”
Big Chicken’s menu “fuses O’Neal’s home-cooked childhood favorites with today’s trending flavors, according to the company. It offers a variety of fried chicken sandwiches, tenders and popcorn chicken. Sides include mac and cheese with a Cheez-It crust, fries and jalapeño slaw. For something sweet, it has shakes, ice cream sandwiches and giant cookies.
The restaurants typically offer dine-in, takeout and local delivery.
O’Neal founded the chain in 2018 in Las Vegas with JRS Hospitality and Authentic Brands Group. It has expanded nationwide since the launch of a franchising program in 2021.
In Pennsylvania, Big Chicken currently has one location in Philadelphia’s Comcast Center and has signed a lease to open at the Pocono Premium Outlets in Tannersville later this year.
After the State College location, the franchisees plan to follow with restaurants in the Lehigh Valley and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre areas.
“Harsimrat, Shubreet, Samarjit, and Pukhraj will bring a new level of operations sophistication and excellence to the Big Chicken franchise system, and we’re thrilled to have them on board,” Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern said in a statement. “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. Here we GROW, State College!”
The Sidhu family has a background in the convenience store, retail and hospitality industries in Pennsylvania, according to the news release
