Shaq Is Now The Proud Owner Of A Huge Food Chain

Would You Believe Major Celebrities Owned These Popular Food-Chains? - Brake For It
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Did You Know That Major Celebrities Owned These Popular Food Chains?
Kelsey Berish | Money | 4 Mar 2026
Aside from fame, money, and being in the public eye, what do celebrities like Shaq, Robert De Niro, and Bon Jovi all have in common? Well, it's simple. They've all decided to invest in some very popular chain restaurants. And when we say chains, we don't just mean fast-food places like Burger King.
De Niro actually owns the high-class sushi restaurant Nobu and Bon Jovi owns and operates a non-profit organization to help the hungry and homeless population in New Jersey. Whether it's their love of the food or the big hearts in them, these celebrities have purchased restaurant chains across the country and overseas.
LeBron James Invested About A Million Dollars Into Blaze Pizza
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Blaze Pizza was founded in 2012 with one goal in mind, to offer affordable, fast pizza for the lunch crowd. The best part is the build-your-own option the chain offered. Starting with just two locations in California, Blaze Pizza quickly opened its 200th restaurant back in 2017, with the help of a long-time investor, NBA star LeBron James.
Former Blaze Pizza CEO Jim Mizes says James has been invested in the brand since day one, promoting the chain on social media accounts whenever he can. Mize said, "LeBron helps us punch in terms of our brand awareness well above our weight."
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Robert De Niro Owns The High-Class Sushi Joint Nobu
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Most people know about actor Robert De Niro's success on-screen. The man is a two-time Academy Award-winner, after all! But what a lot of people don't know about De Niro is that he is a very successful businessman, having grown the sushi restaurant Nobu into a high-class chain.
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The restaurant is run by celebrity chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa, whose signature dish is a black cod in miso -- yum! But that's not all they serve. The menu is made up of fusion-style dishes, mixing together Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. Today, De Niro and Matsuhisa own 39 restaurants and eight luxury hotels under the Nobu brand.
For a long time, Peyton Manning was the face of Papa John's. But did you know he owned a lot of locations?
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Kanye West Bought Ten Burger King Franchises For His Wife
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When people think of American fast-food chains, one that comes to mind right away is typically Burger King. Founded in 1953, the company had financial struggles for a few years before finding its footing in the world of fast-food. As of 2018, there are 17,796 BKs worldwide, with 99.7 percent being privately owned.
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One of those private owners is none other than the Kardashian-West clan. Back in 2014, rapper Kanye West purchased ten Burger King branches in the UK as a wedding present to his then-fiancee Kim Kardashian. Because nothing quite says, "I love you" more than a Whopper with a side of fries.
Keep reading because this unorthodox wedding gift isn't the only franchise Kanye invested in.
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Nas Helped Boost Sweet Chick To The National Stage
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Sweet Chick is a New York City-based restaurant that specializes in chicken and waffles. Opened in 2013, Sweet Chick was first introduced to the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. The restaurant became very popular, allowing for expansion to different parts of the country.
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As the chain started growing in New York, bringing in local legend Nas seemed like the next obvious move. During an interview with Billboard , Nas' partner Peter Bittenbender said, "[Nas] was a natural fit to join the team as he immediately embraced the food and culture of Sweet Chick and saw the opportunity to strategically expand the brand nationally."
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Gene Simmons And Paul Stanley Own Rock & Brews
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The first location of Rock & Brews opened in El Segundo, California, back in 2012. But that's not where it all started. Nope, it started with the idea of Dave Furano, the founder behind the idea of Rock 'n' Roll merchandise. After finding success selling t-shirts, Dave joked about wanting to start a rock restaurant where he could sell them.
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Enter Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley from the legendary band KISS. While Dave was backstage at one of their concerts, he casually said, "What's better than rock and brews?" And thus, the ultimate brainstorming session began, and the restaurant Rock & Brews was formed.
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Dan Aykroyd And Isaac Tigrett Own The House Of Blues
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The House of Blues is a restaurant and venue chain that was founded in 1992, with its first location in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And while the original site is no longer standing, 11 more locations are still up and running throughout the United States.
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Initially, the House of Blues was founded on the basis of providing a place to watch and listen to live music, specifically the blues. And with one of the Blues Brothers at the helm, Dan Aykroyd, and one of the founders of the Hard Rock Cafe, the House of Blues is one of the premier locations in the U.S. to grab a bite and listen to good music.
Leave it to the Wahlberg brothers to open a chain named after themselves!
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Paul Wahlberg Owns A Burger Chain Called Wahlburgers
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In 2011, chef and reality star Paul Wahlberg, partnered with his brothers Mark and Donnie, licensed the "Wahlburger" name, paving the way for their chain of burger joints throughout the United States, UK, Canada, and Germany. The first location was in Hingham, Massachusetts, and as of 2020, there are a total of 36 sites worldwide.
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But this chain has something other restaurants don't; it made it possible for the brothers to have their own reality television show on A&E, Wahlburger s . The series aired from 2014 to 2019 for a total of ten seasons.
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Venus Williams Owns Multiple Jamba Juice Locations In D.C.
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The first Jamba Juice smoothie joint opened up back in 1990 but has since expanded its brand to over 850 locations throughout the world. It's not surprising that the chain became overly popular, with its fresh fruits and vegetable ingredients and the support of a world-class tennis star.
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Back in 2011, professional tennis player Venus Williams signed a deal with Jamba Juice to expand the franchise and open five stores in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland area. During an interview, Williams said, "My partnership with Jamba Juice is an extension of my commitment to fight against obesity and to promote a healthy, active lifestyle."
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Peyton Manning Owned 31 Papa John's Locations
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Founded in 1984, Papa John's is the fourth-largest pizza chain in the United States, with 5,395 locations as of 2019. Having seen much success since its first store opened, in 2010, the franchise signed a contract to become the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL.
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Cue 2012 Peyton Manning. At the time, the Denver Broncos quarterback bought 21 locations in the greater Denver area, making his way to 31 by the time he sold them in 2018. He sold days before Papa John's relinquished their "Offical Pizza of the NFL" title. Of course, per his contract, you might still see Manning in a few of the pizza chain's commercials.
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Jimmy Buffett Made Margaritaville A Reality
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