BEVERLY, MA — Early guests at the grand opening of a recently relocated fast-casual restaurant on the North Shore could find themselves with free chicken for an entire year.
The first 36 guests in line Saturday morning at Big Chicken on Dodge Street in Beverly will receive free sandwiches for a year, tied to founder Shaquille O'Neal's No. 36 jersey during his time with the Boston Celtics.
Guests at the event can expect food offers, entertainment and prize opportunities. People who sign up for the Big Chicken app and attend the opening will have a chance to win fan prizes, including a signed basketball and jersey.
The Beverly restaurant is operated by local franchisees Barry Lattuca, James O'Hanlon, Michael Scibelli and Martin LaChance of JBMM Hospitality.
The group first brought Big Chicken to Massachusetts through the brand's "Dunk Truck" pop-up at Wrentham Premium Outlets in 2025. After that, JBMM opened a permanent storefront at the outlets in January 2026 before expanding to Beverly.
A previous North Shore location at the mall in Peabody closed last year ahead of the relocation.
"Massachusetts has welcomed Big Chicken in a big way since the very first day we rolled in with the Dunk Truck, and opening in Beverly gives us another opportunity to build on that momentum," said Lattuca. "We're looking forward to celebrating with everyone who has welcomed us so far with open arms and introducing even more of the community to the BIG Flavor and BIG Fun that make Big Chicken special."
Big Chicken said its menu includes chicken sandwiches such as The Shaq Attack and The Ultimate, along with crispy tenders, Dunks, sides, hand-spun milkshakes and Shaq Snacks.
The company also said the Beverly opening will feature a first taste of its newest limited-time dip, Root Beer BBQ, part of a monthly "Big Dip Energy" promotion.
"Beverly has all the ingredients we look for in a Big Chicken community — great energy, a strong local identity and people who appreciate seriously good food," said Gregg Majewski, CEO of Big Chicken. "With the JBMM team leading the way, we're excited to plant our flag on the North Shore and continue growing our Massachusetts footprint."
Big Chicken has more than 40 locations open, with dozens more in development across North America and beyond.
In Beverly, regular hours will be Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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