Big Chicken, the star-powered chicken concept founded by legendary basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, announced today the signed lease of its newest locations.
Mulkiteo and Shoreline will mark Big Chicken’s second and third restaurants for Washington-native and businessman, David Jones, and his wife, Lorri. Part of a 5-unit deal signed by the Joneses, the Mukilteo location is set to open its doors in the spring of 2023 at 11700 Mukilteo Speedway, less than a year after the couple opened their first location in Renton. The Shoreline location will open shortly after in the summer at Shoreline Place – 15300 Westminster Way North, bringing the total restaurants in Washington to five with the inclusion of the brand’s two locations at Climate Pledge Arena.
“The reception we’ve had in Renton is fantastic and is getting us even more amped-up for our openings in Mulkiteo and Shoreline,” says David. “We knew we had something special with Big Chicken and look forward to spreading our wings and bringing the concept to more communities throughout the area.”
Having spent nearly 25 years owning and operating restaurants, the Joneses have experience in both growing franchise brands and establishing a multi-unit business from the ground up. Prior to launching Blazing Onion Handcrafted Burgers, David held positions at other major national restaurant brands, including Wendy’s, Subway, McDonald’s, Panhandler Pies and Denny’s. Lorri earned her experience working as a controller at Red Hook Brewery, Eldec Aerospace and Philipps Warranty.
“David and Lorri have been incredible partners to work with,” says Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken. “Seeing their success in Renton only affirms our trust in them and we look forward to seeing their expansion to Mukilteo and Shoreline. They are expanding quickly, we hope that our entire franchise community can (pun intended) keep up with the Joneses.”
The new restaurants will add to the 200-plus locations in development nationwide for the brand. In addition to its Washington locations, Big Chicken currently has locations open in Los Angeles (Glendale and Valencia); Las Vegas (Paradise Road and Tropicana Ave.); and in the Dayton, Ohio region, as well as in metro-New York’s UBS Arena, The Moody Center in Austin, ASU’s Mullett Arena, Acrisure Arena in Coachella Valley, CA and on three Carnival Cruise ships.
