Big Chicken to Collaborate with Blue Origin on Dream to Pursue Restaurant in Space
The countdown is on for a new era in restaurant operations. Shaquille O’Neal-Owned Big Chicken and Blue Origin are teaming up to feed the imaginations of the next generation of explorers for the benefit of Earth and space chicken.
“We’ve always said “Go BIG’ when asked about growth plans for Big Chicken. Now, with Blue Origin, we’re going as BIG as we can by advancing the dream of running restaurants in space,” said Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken and the architect of the company’s franchise growth strategy launched a year and a half ago, which has resulted in 200-plus planned U.S. locationsBlue Origin’s nonprofit, Club for the Future, will partner with Big Chicken’s leadership team and founder Shaquille O’Neal as Club Ambassadors to inspire and engage students. Club for the Future will launch new community outreach programs at Big Chicken restaurants, including inviting patrons to draw their vision of the future on Postcards to Space. Blue Origin will fly the postcards on a future New Shepard mission, stamp them “flown to space,” and return them to the creators.
“I’m proud to team up with Blue Origin to help inspire the next generation,” said Shaquille O’Neal, who opened the first Big Chicken location in 2018. “This first-of-its-kind partnership is a game changer and I’m excited to take the chicken sandwich game to a whole new level.”