Interview with Sam Stanovich, Senior Vice President of Franchise Leadership at Big Chicken, to uncover the secrets behind the brand’s meteoric rise.

Key Takeaways

Focus and Amplify What You’re Good At
Listen and Learn From Your Customers
Preparing the Next Generation of Hospitality Workers

In this episode of Room for Seconds, Gregg Majewski welcomes Sam Stanovich, Senior Vice President of Franchise Leadership at Big Chicken, to uncover the secrets behind the brand’s meteoric rise. Sam dives into the art of building a community-centered restaurant, how Big Chicken is training the next generation in authentic hospitality, and the bold strategies that have driven the brand’s success, including catering as a business game-changer. Discover how Big Chicken balances Shaquille O'Neal's star power with a family atmosphere and why staying adaptable is key in today’s fast-paced food industry. Don't miss this behind-the-scenes look at the strategies that set Big Chicken apart!

Focus and Amplify What You’re Good At

Sam Stanovich shares a valuable lesson from his catering experience at Marriott, where he saw top-performing operators boost their sales by focusing on catering—a strategy that proved far more efficient than traditional methods.

"Successful operators do 10 percent catering," he explains, noting that some operators even reached 20-30% of their total revenue from catering, compared to the average of 2.5%. This approach allowed them to streamline their efforts, focusing on larger, single orders rather than numerous smaller ones.

Stanovich advocates for a similar shift in perspective for restaurants: “When your sales are not going in the direction that you want, you need to supplement it and look at it a different way.”

He suggests restaurants should “hunt” larger catering opportunities to maximize efficiency and growth. By focusing on what they do best—whether it’s catering, group orders, or specialized services—operators can drive stronger sales and create a more scalable business model.

Listen and Learn From Your Customers

At Big Chicken’s inception, Shaquille O'Neal deliberately kept his presence low-key, focusing on the quality of the food rather than his personal brand.

"He didn't want a lot of his imagery in the restaurant," explains Sam Stanovich, Senior VP of Franchise Leadership for Big Chicken.

But as the brand expanded, it became clear that customers associated Big Chicken with Shaq—and they loved that connection. In response, Big Chicken began to incorporate Shaquille’s family story more fully, creating a “Shaquille O'Neal family menu” with kiosk images of his daughter to bring a family-focused atmosphere to life.

“Restaurants are about family,” Stanovich says, highlighting the brand’s shift to reflect the importance of family in dining.

By embracing Shaq’s family-oriented image, Big Chicken reinforces its commitment to a welcoming, communal dining experience. This evolution reflects a key lesson: listening to customers not only shapes brand identity but also strengthens the connection between the brand and its community.

Preparing the Next Generation of Hospitality Workers

In today’s tech-driven world, restaurant operators have a unique responsibility to help young employees, often teenagers in their first jobs, develop crucial hospitality skills. Sam Stanovich points out that this generation has grown up with smartphones, often lacking experience in face-to-face interactions.

“How do we take them and create hospitality,” he asks, “because they're so used to their device in their hand that they haven't had to talk to people all these years?”

To bridge this gap, Stanovich encourages operators to act as “mayors” in their communities, setting a strong example for engagement by greeting and connecting with customers directly.

Brands like Chick-fil-A, which Stanovich says “are continuing to do a great job,” model what it means to create meaningful experiences in every interaction. Through dedicated training programs, he believes restaurants can guide these young workers toward excellent service, ensuring that hospitality thrives even in a digital age.

Episode Links:

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Watch on YouTube

About Sam Stanovich

Sam Stanovich is the Senior Vice President of Franchise Leadership at Big Chicken, bringing extensive experience in the restaurant and franchising industries. He has a background as a Firehouse Subs franchisee and area developer in Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Prior to his franchising career, Stanovich spent nearly a decade with the National Restaurant Association, helping shape the strategic direction of partner products. He is also the co-host of "The Takeout, a Delivery and Catering Show" on the Foodable Network and serves on the advisory board for the Illinois Restaurant Association. With his deep industry knowledge, Sam plays a key role in Big Chicken’s franchising initiatives as the brand expands nationally and internationally.

About Craveworthy Media

Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300+ stores in just 5 years by surrounding the company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands. Craveworthy Media is Majewski’s gift back to the industry that has given him so much. The goal of Craveworthy is to inspire the up and coming industry leaders by providing important information, stories, and insights from titans past and present.

Connect with Gregg

Connect with Craveworthy

Connect with Room for Seconds

Nominate a Guest

Do you know someone who would be great on this show? Let us know by emailing us EMAIL or sending a DM on social media @craveworthybrands

Room for Seconds is produced and published by Cali BBQ Media on behalf of Craveworthy Brands

Videos, Podcast

Building Community, Consistency, and Craveability in Hospitality with Sam Stanovich of Big Chicken