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Perry Rogers, CEO and founding father of sports activities administration and company consulting firm PRP, has managed each famous person athletes and Hollywood stars. He additionally constructed a profitable restaurant firm, JRS Hospitality, with many sizzling spots on the Las Vegas Strip.
These experiences ready him to companion together with his shopper Shaquille O’Neal to create a really larger-than-life restaurant model. Large Rooster is a testomony to collaboration, imaginative and prescient and enjoyable.
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Constructing a legacy for Shaquille O’Neal
The story of Large Rooster started with a query. “Shaquille got here to me in 2017 and stated, ‘You’ve got constructed this large restaurant firm. What have you ever constructed for me?'” Perry Rogers advised Shawn Walchef, host of Restaurant Influencers, on the 2024 Large Rooster franchisee convention in Las Vegas.
O’Neal wasn’t simply searching for an funding—he wished a legacy. Rogers and his staff set to work, creating an idea that actually mirrored O’Neal’s character.
“We thought of what suits Shaquille, what displays his values, his persona and got here up with Large Rooster,” Rogers says.
The primary launch was in Las Vegas in 2018. They spent two years refining the idea earlier than increasing additional. Regardless of his in depth expertise, Rogers admits the early days of Large Rooster have been a studying curve.
“Our [other] eating places have been all full-service, big-volume operations. This was completely different,” he explains. Quick-casual eating was a complete new ballgame.
Even with meticulous planning, the primary location was filled with sudden challenges. “We received a variety of issues unsuitable — an excessive amount of house, too many seats, even the design,” Rogers says. However these hurdles turned alternatives for progress. “In the event you take a look at life as a steady enchancment journey, it isn’t a giant danger to fail.”
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Embracing new media
Rogers and his staff knew from the beginning that Large Rooster was greater than only a restaurant. It was a stage meant for storytelling.
Impressed by O’Neal’s fearless strategy to enterprise and branding, they launched a Fb Watch collection known as Constructing in Public. Followers may watch the behind-the-scenes technique of constructing Large Rooster in real-time.
“Shaquille is all about being genuine and clear,” Rogers says. “Once you’re keen to indicate the ups and downs, it builds belief along with your viewers. Individuals can see that you simply’re not afraid to fail, and that creates a powerful connection along with your prospects.”
Spreading your model on each beneficial media platform is a full-time job. The Large Rooster staff needed to be taught the nuances of a fast-casual idea, together with its dimension, house, theme and product combine. Nevertheless, they remained dedicated to fixed enchancment and iteration.
Constructing in public taught them about themselves and the model, in addition to the way to use social media successfully. By the point they have been able to scale, they felt assured that that they had a product prospects actually liked.
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For Rogers, collaboration is essential to Large Rooster’s success. He credit O’Neal’s daring imaginative and prescient and authenticity because the core of their identification. “Shaquille seems at life like, ‘If my intentions are proper, I need not fear,'” Rogers stated. Finally, issues did fall into place, however they wanted assist.
Hiring Josh Halpern as CEO was a giant turning level. “We wanted somebody who knew what they have been doing,” Rogers says. Halpern’s experience allowed Large Rooster to scale responsibly, guaranteeing the model stayed true to its mission whereas increasing the enterprise.
Large Rooster has grown considerably since its first location, with home and worldwide expansions on the horizon. “We simply opened our first outlet within the UK, in Manchester, and we’re constructing in Honduras in 2025,” Rogers says.
On the coronary heart of Large Rooster’s success is its concentrate on hospitality. “The shops that do nicely are those the place the homeowners are greeting the shoppers,” Rogers says. “If the shoppers do not feel that Shaquille love, there is a disconnect.”
For Rogers, the restaurant business is about greater than enterprise — it is a calling. “If you do not need the ball of internet hosting individuals, do not get on this business,” he says. However for many who love creating pleasure via meals and hospitality, the rewards are unmatched.
As Large Rooster continues to develop, Rogers stays centered on honoring O’Neal’s imaginative and prescient and crafting that legacy. “My job is to construct the enterprise that Shaquille desires to have,” he says. With every new restaurant, they don’t seem to be simply serving meals — they’re creating moments of connection and neighborhood.
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