Raising Cane’s has rapidly taken over the fast food industry in recent years. Their delicious fried chicken, one-of-a-kind Cane’s Sauce, and upbeat atmosphere set a new standard for other fast food chains like Chick-fil-A. Although Raising Cane’s has been popular since its opening, the company has grown nationwide in the last few years. A lot of their advertising caused a skyrocket in marketing, which can be accredited to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. However, one of the most influential advertising platforms is America’s beloved TikTok. With over 283 million TikToks of their food, Raising Cane’s receives a ton of recognition and fame from the app. It became very popular to film “mukbangs,” which are videos of people eating and trying new foods. Many fans of Raising Cane’s have filmed mukbangs eating Raising Cane’s chicken tenders and their unique house sauce.
Todd Graves and Craig Silvey founded this chain back in 1996, and the restaurant has only been growing since. Raising Canes’s first location was in front of Louisiana State University’s school entrance. On August 28, 1996, the first ever Raising Cane’s was opened and has since spread like wildfire across the nation. Today, Texas takes the lead with the most Raising Cane’s locations with a total of 167 restaurants across the state. This exceeds the number of restaurants in every other state. Starting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Raising Cane’s has now made it across 41 states in America with over 800 restaurants. In only the first half of 2024, Raising Cane’s year-over-year revenue, which is how much revenue is increased or decreased in a year, increased by 33%. At the end of the year, Raising Cane’s made nearly $2.3 billion in sales.
The first Raising Cane’s to open in Florida was in Homestead, Florida—a Miami suburb. The location officially opened on November 8, 2022, with hundreds of Floridians at the opening ceremony excited to celebrate the arrival of Raising Cane’s. That morning, around 200 people were waiting outdoors when the restaurant was officially opened, and by the end of opening week, 38,000 people had made a trip down to Raising Cane’s to get their first taste. In the last two and a half years, 16 more restaurants have been opened across the state. Currently, two more locations have been released as “Coming Soon” in Altamonte Springs and Lutz.
Raising Cane’s differs from other fast food chains in many different ways. First, and most notably, is their extremely limited menu. Unlike most fast-food restaurants, there are no burger, dessert, or breakfast options. Their only options contain their fried chicken, which is what ensures their focus remains on the quality of their food. By contrast, instead of serving these tenders with the typical side of just fries, they have put a creative twist. With every meal, customers have a choice between curly fries, Texas Toast, and coleslaw. In addition, customers are allowed to customize and ask for more or less of each side.
Of course, their sauce cannot be forgotten. Their Caniac Sauce is one of the most notable features of the restaurant. Recipes attempting to replicate the sauce have been put online. People get the sauce in bulk purely to save for later. It is a one-of-a-kind taste that has the perfect mixture of everything. Customers can even request an entire fountain cup size full of the Cane’s sauce, which shows how crazy people are for it.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is also a huge plus. The vibrant colors and decorative art make the restaurant feel a lot more lively and upscale than a lot of fast-food restaurants. Each Raising Cane’s has a row of disco balls as a signature decoration, which adds a lot to the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Raising Cane’s has the best of both worlds: quality cuisine and a pleasant atmosphere. It is hard nowadays to find a fast food chain that offers both, if even one. Raising Cane’s puts a lot of thought and effort into surpassing customer satisfaction. Personally, I think that Raising Cane’s is one of the best fast food restaurants I have ever been to. I would easily recommend it to anyone who wants something fast but delicious.
