Raising Cane’s, a popular Southern fast food chain, is set to open later this spring in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia.
The restaurant, popularly known as Cane’s, will be located at 3925 N. Walnut St. and should be open in April or May, according to Julia Doyle, manager and operations support at a location in Dallas, Texas.
“We have been waiting for the opportunity to move into the northeast and grow our business,” Doyle said. “We are very excited to have our opening coming up and to attract all sorts of new customers.”
The fast food chain is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and first opened its doors in 1996. It has since been expanding north over the past few years. Doyle said the chain has seen success in more northern states like Virginia and North Carolina. The chain also has a restaurant in Boston.
“We have seen lots of growth of people enjoying our restaurant and the food that it has to offer,” Doyle said. “We just want to keep branching out and satisfying our customers.”
The chain competes with restaurants like Chick-fil-A, KFC and Popeyes. However, the menu is small, offering different combinations of chicken fingers, crinkle-cut french fries, coleslaw, Texas Toast and their signature Cane’s sauce, a secret recipe Cane’s describes as tangy and full of flavor.
Michael Hornung ’22, who grew up in Texas and is an avid fan of Cane’s, said the limited offering is an advantage for the chain.
“The menu’s pretty small … but I think they have it down to a science,” Hornung said. “That’s all they really need.”
Jaret Mahoney ’22 is also a fan, having spent a lot of time in Texas growing up. Mahoney said he would recommend it to anyone who likes chicken or fast food.
“It’s just really different from most other fast food restaurants,” Mahoney said. “Their secret sauce is incredible.”
Hornung said he is eagerly anticipating the restaurant’s move up north.
“I would argue it’s better than Chick-fil-A. It’s better than Popeyes. It’s better than any other fast food chicken restaurant,” Hornung said. “So I’m quite excited it’s finally coming to Philly.”
Natalie Nevins ’24 contributed to this article.
