'My fries in there?' Shaq stops at his Rosemont restaurant ahead of Lollapalooza show
Shaquille O'Neal posed for photos, autographed basketballs and chatted with fans Friday morning at his new Big Chicken restaurant in Rosemont.
But the NBA pro-turned-business entrepreneur is a busy man these days. After about a half-hour of mingling and photo ops, Shaq took his order to go, ahead of two private DJ gigs in the afternoon and a big show at Lollapalooza at night.
Under the moniker DJ Diesel, O'Neal does about 40 electronic dance music shows a summer, and he is fresh off a European tour.
"Got my fries?" bellowed the 7-foot-1-inch big man in his signature baritone. "My fries in there?"
One of his handlers brought out the order - along with boxes of Stan's Donuts, which shares the strip center building along Higgins Road with Shaq's chicken shack.
Big Chicken opened July 11, but O'Neal didn't attend - to avoid the traffic and logistical nightmare that occurred at his Houston eatery's opening two weeks before. He publicized his appearance there ahead of time on Twitter, and more than 5,000 people showed up.
In Rosemont Friday, a couple hundred were there to see O'Neal, including family and friends of Schaumburg franchisee Ken Patel, Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens and other village officials, and Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly. Patel plans to open a second Big Chicken franchise at 1245 N. Roselle Road in Schaumburg.
Inspired by his family's recipes growing up, O'Neal founded the fast-food chain in 2018 and has become its largest shareholder and board chairman. With 28 locations now - including inside SeatGeek stadium in Bridgeview - the business is undergoing a major expansion. Some 300 stores are in development, according to Sam Stanovich, senior vice president of franchising.
O'Neal, 51, spent 19 seasons in the NBA and got four championship rings - including one he wore Friday morning. Since leaving the league, his celebrity has only grown: as an in-studio analyst on TNT's Inside the NBA, as a commercial spokesman for a host of brands including IcyHot pain relief cream and The General insurance, and as a movie and reality TV star.
With a reported net worth of $400 million, O'Neal increasingly has concentrated his business interests on fast-food franchising, having invested in 155 Five Guys hamburger restaurants, 17 Auntie Anne's pretzel shops and nine Papa Johns pizzerias. Last year, he was the keynote speaker at the International Franchise Association Convention in San Diego.