Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken has finally announced a date for the opening of its Fort Worth location.

Founded in 2018, the Las Vegas-based restaurant is scheduled to open in Fort Worth on September 3, 2024.

Big Chicken has signed a lease for space between Outback Steakhouse and Revfit in the Victory Shops at Heritage Trace, located at the northwest corner of I-35W and Heritage Trace Parkway in the Alliance area.

In honor of O’Neal’s Lakers jersey number, the first 34 customers will receive free food and drinks at Big Chicken for a year, according to a press release.

The menu features a variety of options including giant sandwiches, chicken tenders, Cheez-It crusted mac and cheese, shakes, popcorn chicken and milkshakes.

“This is my ritual,” O’Neal told CNBC at the opening of the Las Vegas location in 2021. “Fried chicken with cheese, pickles and hot sauce.”

This isn’t his first venture into the food industry; he also owns several Papa John’s stores and has even graced a commercial for the pizza chain. In March 2024, he made the decision to step down from the company’s board of directors.

O’Neal’s ties to North Texas are close: The well-known personality is regularly spotted throughout the DFW Metroplex and also owns a home in North Texas.

In 2023, O’Neal told our partners at the Dallas Morning News that he fell in love with the area as a young boy.

“When I was young, we would come to Dallas (from San Antonio) a lot – and the drive, the scenery, the country and the people of Dallas were always very welcoming to me. I just fell in love with Dallas,” O’Neal said. “Dallas is my stopover when I’m on the West Coast for business.”

There are three Big Chicken locations in Texas: Austin, Houston, and Richmond. As stated on the website, another is scheduled to open in Lubbock in 2024. However, the Fort Worth location is the first planned for North Texas.

For more information about Big Chicken’s opening and job openings, visit their website.