Shaq Owned 17 Auntie Anne’s Franchises but Realized ‘Black People Don’t Like Pretzels That Much’ — So He Decided To ‘Switch It Up’

Benzinga_recent_news07-22

"You know we love pizza. I sold my Auntie Anne’s because Black people don’t like pretzels that much," O’Neal said on the "Earn Your Leisure" podcast in 2021. "So I had to switch it up." The comment ...

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I sold my Auntie Anne’s because Black people don’t like pretzels that much,\" O’Neal said on the \"Earn Your Leisure\" podcast in 2021. \"So I had to switch it up.\" \nThe comment ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/07/60595217/shaq-owned-17-auntie-annes-franchises-but-realized-black-people-dont-like-pretzels-that-much-so-he-decided-to-switch-it-up\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"benzinga_recent_news","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>Shaq Owned 17 Auntie Anne’s Franchises but Realized ‘Black People Don’t Like Pretzels That Much’ — So He Decided To ‘Switch It Up’</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nShaq Owned 17 Auntie Anne’s Franchises but Realized ‘Black People Don’t Like Pretzels That Much’ — So He Decided To ‘Switch It Up’\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2026-07-22 04:31 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/07/60595217/shaq-owned-17-auntie-annes-franchises-but-realized-black-people-dont-like-pretzels-that-much-so-he-decided-to-switch-it-up><strong>Benzinga_recent_news</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>\"You know we love pizza. I sold my Auntie Anne’s because Black people don’t like pretzels that much,\" O’Neal said on the \"Earn Your Leisure\" podcast in 2021. \"So I had to switch it up.\" \nThe comment ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/07/60595217/shaq-owned-17-auntie-annes-franchises-but-realized-black-people-dont-like-pretzels-that-much-so-he-decided-to-switch-it-up\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"SWCH","symbol_name":"Switch Inc.","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/07/60595217/shaq-owned-17-auntie-annes-franchises-but-realized-black-people-dont-like-pretzels-that-much-so-he-decided-to-switch-it-up","article_id":"2653785413","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":["https://cdn.benzinga.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,format=auto,quality=85/files/images/story/2026/07/21/New-York--Ny---November-12-Shaquille-sha.jpg"],"rights":{"source":"benzinga_recent_news","url":"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/07/60595217/shaq-owned-17-auntie-annes-franchises-but-realized-black-people-dont-like-pretzels-that-much-so-he-decided-to-switch-it-up","rn_cache_url":null,"directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2653785413","pubTimestamp":1784665860,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"benzinga_recent_news","name":"Benzinga"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"There’s an old saying in business: don’t fall in love with the investment—fall in love with the numbers. Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has built a fortune by following that rule, even when it meant walking","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"benzinga.com","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"SWCH":"Switch Inc.","BK4513":"直播概念","BK4116":"互联网服务与基础架构","LU1093756325.SGD":"FTIF - Franklin K2 Alt Strat Fd A (acc) SGD-H1","LU1093756168.USD":"FRANKLIN K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES \"A\" (USD) ACC"},"translate_title":"沙克拥有 17 家安妮阿姨特许经营店，但他意识到 “黑人不太喜欢椒盐卷饼”--所以他决定 “换换口味”","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"SWCH":1.5},"content_text":"\"You know we love pizza. I sold my Auntie Anne’s because Black people don’t like pretzels that much,\" O’Neal said on the \"Earn Your Leisure\" podcast in 2021. \"So I had to switch it up.\" \nThe comment drew laughs, but O’Neal wasn’t just delivering a punchline. He was explaining why he walked away from a franchise investment after realizing consumer demand wasn’t matching his expectations.\nDon’t Miss:\nO’Neal bought his first Auntie Anne’s franchises in 2007 and eventually owned 17 locations. While the investment showed promise early on, he said the numbers ultimately told a different story.\nWhen one of the podcast hosts pushed back, arguing that cinnamon pretzels were still popular, O’Neal wasn’t convinced.\n\"Maaan, nobody eats cinnamon pretzels,\" he joked before playfully teasing the host, drawing laughter from everyone in the room.\nThen he returned to the point behind the joke.\n\"At first, it was a good investment, but the numbers…\" O’Neal said, trailing off as if the rest hardly needed explaining.\nTrending: 1.5M+ People Work in Headsets Every Week— Here’s the Company Behind It\nThe message was clear. Successful investing isn’t about proving an idea can work—it’s about recognizing when it no longer does.\nThat willingness to pivot has become a defining trait of O’Neal’s business career. Rather than forcing an investment to succeed, he’s repeatedly shown he’ll move his money where the opportunity is stronger.\nO’Neal has often said he looks for businesses that fit how people actually live, not just ideas that sound good on paper. That’s one reason his portfolio has long centered on recognizable consumer brands and franchise businesses with broad appeal.\nSee Also: More Than 500 Million People Live With Osteoarthritis. One Biotech Thinks The Body May Already Hold Part Of The Answer.\nFor O’Neal, selling his Auntie Anne’s franchises wasn’t an admission of failure. It was a reminder that even good investments have a shelf life. Sometimes the smartest business move isn’t holding on—it’s knowing exactly when it’s time to switch it up.\nRead Next: What If Your Budget Adjusted To Your Life—Instead Of The Other Way Around?\nArrived\nRealberry\nFarmTogether\nFarmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.\nImmersed\nFundrise\nPrivate real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.\nMode Mobile\nEquityMultiple \nFor accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.\nImage: Shutterstock\nTo add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":false,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"isVideo":false,"video":null,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"need_login_tip":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"isLaohu8Offline":false,"tenantId":"TBGLOBAL","deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.46.0","shortVersion":"4.46.0","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2653785413","isCrawlerRequest":true}