Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken Closes At Peabody Northshore Mall

PEABODY, MA — Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal's fast-casual restaurant "Big Chicken" has shuttered at the Northshore Mall in Peabody about one year after opening.

The location has been removed from the Northshore Mall's directory, with a person answering a call to the restaurant from Patch on Wednesday afternoon indicating that it was currently closed and not likely to reopen.

A Northshore Mall spokesperson confirmed the closure and plans for the location in an email to Patch on Thursday.

"Northshore Mall has generated remarkable interest, and we are thrilled by the response from our community, shoppers, and prospective partners," the statement said. "We anticipate announcing an exciting new dining offering soon and look forward to welcoming several additional brands in the near future."

The location was the franchise's first in Massachusetts, with plans for a second location on the North Shore slated for North Beverly.

Founded in 2018, "Big Chicken" is designed to highlight O'Neal's home-cooked childhood favorites and provide "guests an inside look into the life and personality of Shaquille O'Neal."

O'Neal is a four-time NBA champion and Hall of Fame basketball player who concluded his career with the Boston Celtics.

The Big Chicken website lists locations in 16 other states, as well as a "Dunk Truck" location at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)