After a long wait, Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken is open for business in Renton.

Located at the Landing, Big Chicken’s grand opening was held Saturday, Dec. 17. Not long after the doors were open, customers rushed to get in line to buy crispy chicken sandwiches, milkshakes, sweet potato waffle-fries, beer on tap, and the Big Cookie, a chocolate chip cookie as big as the diameter of a basketball.

The first person to make an order Rowan Cook, 31, who ordered the M.D.E., a chicken sandwich with “Shaq Sauce” and pickles. They were accompanied by their partner Kyle Martin, 32, who ordered the Uncle Jerome, a spicy sandwich with Nashville hot chicken, lettuce, mayo and pickles, and their friend Nigel Quinn, 28, who also ordered the M.D.E.

“We live here in Renton and we’ve seen some of the signage so we got here early at 10 a.m.,” Cook said.

By the time Cook, Martin and Quinn sat down to eat their sandwiches — which they confirmed were delicious — the restaurant filled up fast with more hungry customers exploring the menu.

For owner David Jones, the Uncle Jerome sandwich is his favorite. “Every sandwich is actually named after someone in Shaquille’s family or his life,” Jones said. “The Big & Sloppy is credited to Charles Barkley.”

Jones and his wife Lorri are established PNW restaurant and business owners with four Subways, eight Blazing Onions, and with the Renton Big Chicken, there will be four more locations opening up in Tacoma, Mukilteo, Shoreline and the Microsoft campus.

While the first Big Chicken technically opened in the Climate Pledge Arena in October 2021, Jones says that the Renton location is the first traditional Big Chicken in Washington state.

Founded in 2018, Big Chicken came from the Hall of Fame basketball star’s love for the home-cooked meals from his childhood.

Big Chicken is located at 921-A North 10th Street at the Landing in Renton and can be reached at 425-207-8717. Big Chicken is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The store will close early at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and is closed Christmas Day. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will be open regular hours.

For more information, visit www.bigchicken.com/renton-wa.

Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing. Minutes before Big Chicken’s grand opening, the crew brought all hands in.

The Big Chicken’s Big Cookie is the size of basketball. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.