Until the early 2010s, I was completely oblivious to the restaurant known as Raising Cane's. I had never seen one or heard of who they were. By complete chance, I came across its name, and years later, it has become my favorite fast food spot.
I remember coming across a post on Facebook in 2013 from a friend who was talking about a popular niche book about Ohio State Men's Basketball through the lens of a walk-on player. After he recommended it to me, I bought the book and started reading. In one of the stories, the author referenced a restaurant I had never heard called Raising Cane's that existed in Columbus. I then did some research on the restaurant and later had it for the first time in 2014 when I visited my aforementioned friend in the Columbus area. Once I had it, I WAS HOOKED.
Raising Cane's is a chicken-fingers-only restaurant that was founded in the late 1990s by Todd Graves in Louisiana. They are committed to serving "quality chicken finger meals". The restaurant's menu only has five options and all dishes are centered around chicken fingers. There's even a "Tailgate" option where you can order 25, 50, 75, or 100 chicken fingers if you're buying food for a party or event. The restaurant is located mostly in the southern half of the United States but has grown at a solid pace to where they have locations in the Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St Louis, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland Metro Areas amongst other places north of the Mason Dixon Line.
Part of the reason why they aren't all over the country is that their restaurants are mostly company-owned, meaning their expansion is slower and strategically planned so that they do not fail in certain locations. At present day, they have over 450 locations.
There are many reasons why I love Cane's. I have always loved chicken, especially any chicken without bones, so this type of restaurant suits my taste buds! The chicken itself is very solid, but the special Cane's Sauce puts the overall taste over the top. The sauce's recipe is a secret only known to Cane's General Managers, but it tastes like sweet mayo with a bit of spice. French Fries and coleslaw are side options, but the fact that you get Texas toast with your meal is awesome since that is rare for the most part. I like to ask for no slaw and extra toast since the toast is SO GOOD/
Many people also love the lemonade that is made in-store, another unique option. I enjoy that the menu is simple, giving customers an easy job when choosing what they will get, plus it reaffirms the company's commitment to serving quality chicken finger meals. Menus that have too many options can hurt the overall restaurant since a niche is not being created to differentiate the restaurant from its competitors.
Unfortunately, there are no Cane's locations in my home state of Indiana (the closest is an hour and ten minutes away in Illinois) nor in Michigan where I attend university. I plan on applying for jobs in Columbus, so hopefully, I will be near plenty of Cane's restaurants soon.
