New proprietors rejuvenate Big Chicken's culinary offerings
In a move to excite customers and refresh its offerings, the fast-casual chicken concept Big Chicken has introduced a new menu following its partnership with Craveworthy Brands four months ago. The menu refresh, spearheaded by veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor Lisa Jennings, features a new category called Shaq Snacks and an emphasis on creative, indulgent, and sharable items.
Shaq Snacks and New Side Options
The Shaq Snacks category includes five smaller sandwiches, each with a chicken tender in a split-top bun and unique toppings. Examples include The Smoke Show, featuring ancho sauce, coleslaw, onion rings, and pepper jack cheese, and The El Shaquito, with Cholula sauce, corn elote, white American cheese.
In addition to the Shaq Snacks, Big Chicken has also introduced new side items like corn elote, onion rings, and fried cheese curds. These new options can be found not only as standalone sides but also as ingredients in sandwiches and salads.
Bigger, Bolder Flavors
Craveworthy’s Vice President of Culinary Jax Sperling stated that the goal was to make Shaq's hands look small with the new sandwich sizes. The menu refresh also aims to bring Big Chicken "back to its essence" with new and exciting flavors. The overall taste profile has been refreshed to offer bigger, bolder flavors that are consistent with the fast-casual chicken concept's identity.
Other New Menu Items
The Philly Fadeaway is a new menu item, a variation on a Philly Cheesesteak, with diced grilled chicken, caramelized onions, peppers, mushrooms, white American cheese, and served on an Amoroso roll. Another new addition is The Pit Boss, featuring fried chicken, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, fried cheese curds, pickles, and onion rings.
Brand Evolution and Future Plans
The menu refresh follows the March 2025 Craveworthy Brands investment and managing partnership in Big Chicken, marking a significant brand and culinary evolution. Sperling noted that the menu refresh is designed to drive trial and boost traffic. This is Sperling's first brand revamp at Craveworthy, which is parent to about 19 other brands, including Genghis Grill, Wing It On, Dirty Dough, and Fresh Brothers Pizza.
Big Chicken, known for its chicken sandwiches, tenders, mac and cheese, shakes, and wings, is poised for an exciting future under its new management and refreshed menu.
- The restaurant industry's Big Chicken, under its recent partnership with Craveworthy Brands, has unveiled a revamped menu that offers a new category, Shaq Snacks, consisting of creatively designed, indulgent, sharable sandwiches.
- Craveworthy Brands' Vice President of Culinary, Jax Sperling, has stated that the goal is to make Shaq's hands seem small with the new sandwich sizes, as part of an initiative to bring Big Chicken back to its essence and offer bigger, bolder flavors.
- The refreshed menu also introduces new food-and-drink items such as Philly Fadeaway, aPhiladelphia cheesesteak variation, and The Pit Boss, a sandwich featuring fried chicken, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, fried cheese curds, pickles, and onion rings.
- With the recent investment and managing partnership in Big Chicken, this evolution marks a significant change in the fast-casual chicken concept's lifestyle, business, and culinary direction, signifying an exciting future for the restaurant franchise in terms of both financial backing and innovative food recipes.
