“I Didn’t Expect This”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Attempt to Surprise Fans Backfires at $1.4 Million Venture

If there’s one thing  The Big Aristotle does best, it is entertaining fans. Shaquille O’Neal does it through many avenues. But mainly, he achieves it through his hands-on approach to his ventures. One of them is his successful chain of restaurants, Big Chicken. The boss recently dropped in to personally gather some intel on customer satisfaction. But this big guy couldn’t go unnoticed and naturally turned it into an entire event.

The multihyphenate is expanding his restaurant business to more locations but has not ignored older franchises. Shaq wanted to give diners at Big Chicken a rare experience to go with their meals. Instead, he was touched by the response from his fans.

Big Chicken diners meet the owner, Big Diesel

Diners getting their hunger fix in Valencia, California got the best surprise they could expect this week. The NBA legend, musician, entertainer, and restauranteur, Shaquille O’Neal himself showed up at Big Chicken. As you can expect, his surprise appearance turned into a fan interaction event.

O’Neal was hoping to surprise customers. He was instead overwhelmed by the love and adoration he received.

A group of Valencia High School cheerleaders started chanting, “Who are you yelling for? Shaquille! O’Neal!” outside the restaurant. Several other fans were sporting classic Los Angeles Lakers merchandise.

They eagerly lined up and waited for an opportunity to get a photo with the backboard breaking big himself.

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The enthusiasm moved Shaq, who told a local news outlet, “I didn’t expect this. It’s lovely. I see a lot of Lakers fans. You know, I had a great run here in LA. People have always been very hospitable. I just hope I can get to take care of all these people today.”

O’Neal most definitely did. Not only did they get the chance to meet Big Diesel, but they also had a lovely meal.

Shaquille O’Neal gets rave reviews for his restaurant

O’Neal is expanding his restaurant chain at a steady pace. After opening a new location in Illinois worth $1.4 million, he’s ready to launch a new franchise in Tennessee. The restaurant’s menu is based on the gentle giant’s favorite dishes he grew up on, inspired especially by his mother’s cooking.

Patrons definitely feel the homely love of the food. At the weekend event, fans enjoyed the food as much as they loved seeing Shaq himself.

“It’s great. Perfect amount of spiciness and I think the kids are eating their chicken. So, that’s a good sign for me,” one customer at Valencia said.

The owner of Big Chicken, Andy Giti said that O’Neal added to the success of the restaurant immensely. “Shaquille has been a great brand ambassador, and everywhere we go, we talk about Big Chicken. Everyone loves Shaquille!”

All in all, it was a great day at work for Mr. O’Neal. As he put it, “Getting to see the turnout is great. We just want to continue to make people happy.” Big Chicken and Shaq continue to tick all those boxes.

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