FORT WORTH, Texas — Big Chicken, a chain Shaquille O'Neal and his business partners founded in 2018, opened Tuesday in Fort Worth.
The first 34 people in line got free food from Big Chicken for an entire year. And that meant some folks started lining up early.
But how early?
Frank Perez was the first person inside the restaurant when the doors opened. He and his family had been waiting outside the restaurant since Sunday.
Lines outside Big Chicken is a first of its kind for the Alliance Town Center area, which is growing by leaps and bounds with new restaurants.
Katie Butterworth's husband Chadwick convinced her to get in line and stand in the rain.
"We forgot all of our rain gear and even stopped at Buc-ee's and could have got an umbrella and totally didn't," Butterworth said.
Perez and his family had to keep busy and entertained to help pass the time, especially when it started raining.
"We were playing dominoes and cards, and acting goofy in the rain," Perez said.
Perez and his wife got hooked on Big Chicken while on a vacation cruise, so they are familiar with the menu. One of his favorite things is that the food is cooked to order.
"We tried other food chains. But after trying this, me and my wife got hooked," Perez said.
With Perez being the first person in line he will get free food from Big Chicken for a year. The restaurant issued the first 34 people a Big Chicken gift card that will reload $10 every week for the next 12 months.
The free food recipients include Jordan Henderson and her family who spent the night outside while bringing in her 25th birthday. They put up a tent in the Big Chicken drive-thru lane to stay close to the front door and hold their space in line.
"We slept on the ground, we got rained on, so we are soaked and wet in here eating, but it's a great birthday so far," Henderson said.
As people waited for the doors to open Tuesday morning, some Big Chicken customers stayed in line despite the constant rain. Most of the people in line had umbrellas, others wore ponchos to help keep them dry. But for some folks, the inclement weather was just too much.
"Some people walked away," Erick D. Bowens said, "But the best thing is, I had to stay and got this good umbrella. So, I'm fine. Y.O.L.O., You only live once. I said I'm going to do something I have never done before, so I am here."
Others kept their fingers crossed hoping to meet the owner Shaquille O'Neal. His face is displayed on the menu advertising the restaurant's shakes made with real ice cream.
Shaq later made an appearance at Big Chicken, taking pictures with customers.
Shaq and his two business partners own several restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations, and now the first Big Chicken in North Texas. The Fort Worth location will feature O'Neal's home-cooked childhood favorites such as The Ultimate, a sandwich piled high with mac & cheese and crispy fried onions, and Uncle Jerome's Nashville Hot, which is a Hot Chicken sandwich served with lettuce, mayo and pickles, along with crispy crinkle-cut fries.
The Uncle Jerome's Nashville Hot is Frank Perez's favorite. Although he didn't get to meet Shaq after waiting days outside for his new restaurant to open, Frank has no regrets.
"To be here is like being close to him and knowing that he supports this chain," Perez said, "I know he's got a lot of things on his plate."
Big Chicken is located at 9749 North Freeway in Fort Worth.