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With Raising Canes opening a new flagship restaurant in Chicago last week, people have been curious to learn more about the fast food chain. The new store was welcomed by a long line of customers who waited to get their orders at the downtown Chicago store.
Similar to the chain's first-ever opening in 1996, the downtown Chicago opening was met with a much-expected warm response as over 400 guests stood in a line spread across the corners of the Michigan Ave store. Covered in warm clothes and jackets to escape the winter winds, customers waited for their turn to try out the famous Raising Canes Chicken Fingers.
The long line of guests outside the new store has the internet amused as people continue to share videos of the same with their peers and fellows.
Founded in 1996, the Louisiana-based fast food chain is popularly known for its Chicken Fingers and has a menu that is completely dedicated to its specialty. While the new Chicago store will be the chain's first store in downtown Chicago, there are over 20 more stores in the suburbs of the busy city.
Raising Canes opened its first outlet in Louisiana
Raising Canes has had a history that is marked with rejections, determination, and humble beginnings. It was in August 1996, that the fast food restaurant chain started its first business in a renovated old bakery building at the North Gates of Louisiana State University.
The owner, CEO, and Founder of the company, Todd Graves, worked on the renovation himself along with some close friends and a few contractors. Located on Highland Road in Baton Rouge, this location became the company's first restaurant to serve Chicken Fingers.
Todd had a vision of starting a fast food restaurant that served only Chicken Fingers, an idea that was rejected by his Business college professors and Banks. Todd's professors and the banks considered the business idea to be a failure as a business serving a single item on its menu seemed too absurd.
Instead of being disheartened by the rejections, he went on to raise money for the business himself by working several jobs throughout the years. Todd worked day and night at an oil refinery, and later in the dangerous sea as a fisherman catching salmon.
After working and saving up funds for a long time, Todd finally managed to turn his vision into a reality. With his hard-earned money and an SBA loan, Todd opened the first-ever Raising Canes Chicken Fingers restaurant in the United States (Louisiana). Located on Highland Road in Baton Rouge, the chain's first store is known as Mothership and serves as a symbol of hope and inspiration for the chain's employees and customers across the country.
Raising Canes plans to open more flagship stores later this year
Running a fast food business with a single item sure sounds like an impossible feat, but Raising Canes has been doing so with utmost elegance for the last 26 years. With a business stretched across over 458 cities, the fast-food restaurant chain serves happy customers every day at over 658 stores across the country.
With the opening of the most recent flagship store in Chicago, the Chicken Fingers specialist now has two flagship stores in the United States. Speaking of flagship stores, Raising Canes has plans for the opening of two more flagship stores, one in Miami's South Beach, and the other in New York City's Times Square, set up for later this year.
The brand opened its first flagship store last year on the Las Vegas strip. Considering the huge guest turnout, the Chicken Finger specialist is often forced to work late hours.
All Raising Canes locations offer a similar menu that is based around the much-loved Chicken Fingers. The fast food chain's chicken fingers feature hand-battered premium chicken, which is marinated for over 24 hours. Chicken fingers are fried in piping hot oil at the time of order, ensuring the best Chicken Fingers experience for the customers.
The fast food restaurant chain also serves other sides like crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Cane's Sauce, Texas toast, and soft drinks. Customers who want to try something different at Raising Canes can also get a DIY Sandwich Combo that comes with chicken fingers, Cane's sauce, lettuce, a toasted bun, crinkle-cut fries, and a drink.
