The New York Islanders new UBS Arena opened Saturday, November 20th which included the opening of Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken.
The highly anticipated $1.5 billion arena, which is next to the famed Belmont Park horse race track, Big Chicken will welcome Islanders fans as well as concertgoers and guests of a variety of events to be held there year-round.
“We’re fortunate to partner with Oak View Group and Delaware North to bring our restaurant to the new home of the Islanders and to be part of Greater New York’s majestic live entertainment experience,” says Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken in a press release.
Big Chicken just opened in October at Seattle’s new Climate Pledge Arena offering Amazon’s Just Walk Out and Amazon One technology, making Big Chicken even more accessible to fans.
The menu includes the Islander sandwich, the M.D.E. Chicken, and the Uncle Jerome, along with chicken tenders, fries, sodas, ice cream sandwiches and a BIG Cookie, which is the circumference of an NBA basketball.
The Big Chicken location at UBS Arena will be operated by Delaware North. As one of the world’s leading food service companies, it manages hospitality services at nearly 50 sports and entertainment venues worldwide and serves millions of guests each year in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, lodging, gaming and specialty retail industries.
Big Chicken has locations open in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, the Carnival Cruise Ship Mardi Gras, and in Rochester, New York through a partnership with Ghost Kitchen Brands. With seven restaurants in development including a location set to open in the Moody Center in Austin, the brand’s current franchise growth plans also include key U.S. metropolitan markets and select countries.
