Raising Cane’s is bringing its chicken-finger menu to three new cities in September, giving customers in Saginaw, San Francisco and Gresham their first local restaurants from the chain.
The three debuts are part of a larger expansion covering six restaurants in five states. Raising Cane’s also plans openings in Cleveland and Nashville, Tennessee, and Westminster, Colorado. The current schedule begins Sept. 8 and continues through Sept. 22.
Raising Cane’s has not issued a single corporate release with all six addresses and opening dates. Instead, the company has posted the latest details across its official location pages, and QSR Magazine reported the complete schedule and received comments from a company representative.
“September is an exciting month for Raising Cane’s as we bring our ONE LOVE Craveable Chicken Finger Meals to new communities,” the representative told QSR Magazine. The company said each opening offers another chance to introduce its food, restaurant designs, and customer experience to a new audience.
Saginaw will welcome the first new-city restaurant
Saginaw, Michigan, will lead the three debuts when its Raising Cane’s opens Tuesday, Sept. 8. Located at 5015 Bay Road, the restaurant will be the chain’s first in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
The company is planning more than a routine opening. According to the official Saginaw restaurant page, the celebration will include live music, prizes and giveaways. Early visitors can also enter for a chance to win free Raising Cane’s for a year, subject to the promotion’s official rules.
Raising Cane’s says the event will recognize its support for Saginaw United High School and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Great Lakes Bay Region. WNEM-TV reported that the company planned to hire 120 crew members, including cashiers, customer-service associates and fry cooks.
“We’re thrilled to continue growing our presence across Michigan, and Saginaw is an exciting next step for Raising Cane’s,” Restaurant Leader Emily Deaton told WNEM. She said the crew was looking forward to creating jobs, building community connections and serving the chain’s chicken-finger meals.
Another Raising Cane’s is scheduled to open Sept. 8 at 148 Sgt. Paul Huff Parkway Northwest in Cleveland, Tennessee. That restaurant is part of the larger six-location rollout, although Cleveland is not one of the three first-time cities.
San Francisco gets a Fisherman’s Wharf location
San Francisco is next on the calendar. Raising Cane’s currently lists its restaurant at 211 Jefferson Street as opening Monday, Sept. 21. The address places the chain near Fisherman’s Wharf, one of the city’s best-known visitor districts.
Earlier reports said the company had not announced a specific opening day. Raising Cane’s has since updated its official San Francisco directory to list Sept. 21.
Raising Cane’s already operates elsewhere in California and the wider Bay Area, so Jefferson Street will not be the chain’s state debut. It will be the first Raising Cane’s inside San Francisco, giving residents access to the restaurant without leaving the city.
A second San Francisco location is planned at 255 Winston Drive near Stonestown Galleria. The company marks that restaurant as “Coming Soon,” but no opening date is currently displayed. It is separate from the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant included in September’s schedule.
San Francisco’s debut will arrive on the same day as another opening in Nashville. Raising Cane’s plans to open at 1819 Broadway on Sept. 21, adding to its existing Nashville restaurants. The company identifies the upcoming location as “Broadway – Nashville 2.”
Gresham will complete the September expansion
Gresham, Oregon, will receive the third first-time restaurant and the final opening on the current schedule. Raising Cane’s plans to open at 20 NW Burnside Road on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The official Gresham directory confirms the address and opening date. Like San Francisco, Gresham represents the company’s arrival in a new city rather than its first restaurant in the state.
Raising Cane’s already operates in Oregon, including a restaurant at Pioneer Place in downtown Portland. The Gresham location will expand the chain farther east within the Portland metropolitan area, giving local customers an alternative to traveling into central Portland.
Before Gresham’s debut, Raising Cane’s plans to open at 7375 W. 88th Avenue in Westminster, Colorado, on Sept. 14. It will join an existing restaurant on West 121st Avenue, making it an additional Westminster location rather than the chain’s introduction to the city.
The complete schedule begins with Saginaw and Cleveland on Sept. 8. Westminster follows on Sept. 14, San Francisco and Nashville are scheduled for Sept. 21, and Gresham closes the expansion on Sept. 22. That adds up to six restaurants, with only three first-time city arrivals.
A small menu continues to support a large expansion
Raising Cane’s has built its identity around a focused menu centered on chicken fingers. Its combinations typically pair the chicken with crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw and Cane’s Sauce. The chain also serves a chicken sandwich, tailgate orders, lemonade and iced tea.
The concept dates to 1996, when Todd Graves opened the original Raising Cane’s near Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The restaurant took its name from Graves’ yellow Labrador retriever, Raising Cane, which visited the construction site.
That focused menu gives each restaurant a familiar foundation, even in a city the chain has never entered. Local differences often show up in the design, decorations, and community involvement instead of a completely different food lineup.
Restaurant opening dates can change during final preparations. As of Sept. 1, however, the company’s official pages support six September openings, with Saginaw, San Francisco, and Gresham preparing to welcome Raising Cane’s for the first time.
Raising Cane’s September expansion will add six restaurants across five states. Saginaw, San Francisco, and Gresham will mark the biggest milestone, welcoming the chain to their cities for the first time.
