Big Chicken’s other group partner, Authentic Brands Group, is a brand development, marketing, and entertainment company with likeness rights to Sports Illustrated, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Forever 2021, Van Heusen, and Aéropostale.Īnd this year, with Big Chicken ready to scale, O’Neal and his partners brought on Josh Halpern, who’s worked at companies such as FIFCO, Anheuser-Busch, Clorox, and P&G, to lead as CEO. Silverman and Piekarski, high-end chefs by practice, spearhead JRS Hospitality, a Las Vegas-based events and catering company known for its parties, private dining, and corporate gatherings. “The two Matts,” as O’Neal calls them, joined him on the ground floor of what’s evolved into Big Chicken-a fast casual on the verge of super-sized growth. O’Neal’s business partner, Perry Rogers, the CEO and founder of PRP, a sports management and corporate consulting company that’s roster includes O’Neal and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, among others, introduced him to Matt Silverman and Matt Piekarski. “Chicken was too personal to me,” says the 7-foot-1 NBA Hall of Famer and “Inside the NBA” analyst. O’Neal says he frequently received calls to become a chicken franchise over the years that “just didn’t feel right.” Not to mention, a headline-grabbing 2019 appointment to Papa Johns’ board, which included investing in nine Atlanta locations and helping front one of the industry’s biggest comebacks in recent memory.īut this was different. He’s had a hand in Krispy Kreme and Five Guys franchises, and even a fine-dining spot in L.A. Shaquille O’Neal is hardly a restaurant rookie. Note: If viewing on desktop, please click the arrow in the picture to see the next slide. This group has weathered the storm and is ready to thrive in the most dynamic operating environment on record.
Our annual 40/40 List is now in its sixth iteration, recognizing 40 brands with fewer than 40 locations that we believe can be the next big thing.
Regardless of what’s changed, though, the unique DNA of these upstarts continues to fuel fast casual’s trajectory. Fast casuals are emerging more connected and stronger than ever, with tech-centric models and even drive-thrus. In truth, it might only serve to accelerate it. In some ways, it was the counter-service world’s long-awaited answer to the strength of independent restaurants.Īnd so arrived brands of every food category and background, all capitalizing on the strengths of both segments, but with designs to grow. Yet one thing that hasn’t vanished- the entrepreneurial nature of the sector’s most innovative category.įast casual exploded out of the Great Recession due to its variety and nuance. You can thank the digital revolution of COVID-19 and how convenience became a trademark of brands across foodservice, sit-down restaurants included. T he lines between quick service and fast casual have blurred to unprecedented degrees.
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