Big Chicken, a fast casual chicken concept founded by National Basketball Association Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, announced last month that it has signed a franchise agreement with local restaurant owner Damon Kreizenbeck to open six Big Chicken locations across northwest Nevada.
“I’ve been in the fast casual business for the last seven years and was looking for an opportunity to expand my portfolio,” said Kreizenbeck. “I knew from the moment I met with the Big Chicken team that this brand was the right fit – their combined experience is incredibly impressive, and they’re just good people who we’re excited to work with. We’re looking forward to expanding with the brand in its home state.”
Prior to business ownership, Kreizenbeck spent most of his professional life in the fine wine business where he owned a wine and spirit marketing company and a fine wine distributor.
In 2015, he became a Firehouse Subs franchisee, opening his first location in his hometown of Carson City, with his father-in-law, Patrick Lindsay.
Kreizenbeck’s father-in-law also will be involved in the Big Chicken business, as will his wife, Karin and their daughters, Hanna, Lindsay and Kyda. Having worked in the fast casual industry for the last seven years, they know that to be successful, you need good people, a good environment and most importantly, good food, and are confident they’ve found that in Big Chicken.
“Damon’s experience and knowledge of the market make him the perfect person to help us expand into northwest Nevada,” said Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern. “He and I had similar backgrounds prior to coming into the fast casual world, which I think will propel our partnership. He has done a great job building his Firehouse Subs locations and now we’re thrilled to have Damon and his family join our team.”
Since the announcement of Big Chicken’s franchising initiative just under one year ago, the brand has more than 150 locations in its development pipeline. Upcoming franchise expansion includes Illinois, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio, Idaho, Utah and Nevada.
Big Chicken has a location open in Las Vegas along with restaurants in Los Angeles, Seattle, metro New York’s UBS Arena, Austin and on two Carnival Cruise ships.
For information, visit www.bigchicken.com.
