Friday, July 15, 2022

[EXCLUSIVE] Raising Cane's "Cashes In" on Another Atlanta Area Opportunity

With the greater metro Atlanta's first Raising Cane's restaurant now under construction in Buford, ToNeTo Atlanta has confirmed that a second location is coming, with several more "in the works," according to a source familiar with the brand's local expansion plans.  While intown residents will again be let down by this news, Dacula residents wanting to have to schlep all the way to Buford can take comfort in knowing that they, too, will soon have a Raising Cane's.  

Permits filed with Gwinnett County confirm that a new Raising Cane's is planned for 3485 Braselton Highway, between Arby's and Starbucks, on the site of a recently demolished former BB&T bank.  

ToNeTo Atlanta is proud to have been metro Atlanta's exclusive source for the planned local launches of both Whataburger and Raising Cane's, but while the Texas-based burger was one of our most read stories last year, comments and interest in the chicken joint have exploded in recent months.  Many readers are holding out hope that Raising Cane's will be able to penetrate the perimeter and put at least one location ITP.  Our real estate source suggested the chain is looking for intown, as well as suburban locations, but that COVID-caused competition, especially for prime drive-thru sites, has made many potential properties financially unattainable.   

University of Georgia graduate Todd Graves along with his business partner Craig Silvey opened the first Raising Cane's in Baton Rouge near the LSU campus in 1996.  Graves, who worked for Guthrie's (which proudly claims to be America's Original Chicken Finger Restaurant) while in school in Athens, would later return to the Classic City in 2006 when he opened a new Raising Cane's on land that had been home to Guthrie's from 1984 until its closure in 2004.    

Today, there are more than 500 Raising Cane's locations worldwide, but currently just the one Georgia location in Athens.   For those unfamiliar, the Raising Cane's menu, inspired by the early success of Guthrie's, is quite simple, with offerings including chicken tenders, Texas Toast, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, drinks, sauces, and not a whole lot else.  What some might consider a weakness (a limited, generally unhealthy menu) has turned into a strength for the chain as the limited menu allows it to be incredibly efficient...and profitable.     

Data released earlier this year indicates that Raising Cane's restaurants produce a $5 million AUV (average unit volume), good for second overall among QSR peers with Atlanta's Chick-fil-A once again taking the top spot with an AUV just over $8 million.   

A source close to Raising Cane's indicates that barring potential construction/permitting delays,  the Buford restaurant is slated to open November 8, followed by Dacula on November 29.  

Are you excited for the upcoming metro Atlanta debut of Raising Cane's?  Where is your favorite place to get chicken tenders currently?  Where in metro Atlanta would you like Raising Cane's to open?

Please share your thoughts below. 

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

The closed Burger King on clairmont!!!

dal787 said...

It's ok. But I prefer Zaxby's.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Alpharetta or Cumming area next!

Chris Guest said...

Come on Alpharetta

Anonymous said...

Douglasville Ga

Anonymous said...

So much hype about this restaurant. I hope it lives up to the champ that people are drooling over. Zaxby's is heavy on the salt and overpriced. Publix chicken tenders when fresh are out of the park delicious! What I do like is that Publix will let you select which one you want.

Anonymous said...

Nothing beat a "Gutbox" in the 90s!

Anonymous said...

The dumbing down of this country continues

Anonymous said...

The best thing about Cane's is that it's never kept under heat lamps, it's cooked to order.
And that BBQ bread is awesome?

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous @ 7/18, 8:29, are you asking if the BBQ bread is awesome, because that's the normal function of the punctuation you used.
And the poster commenting on Publix tenders nailed it.

Anonymous said...

I have eaten at Cane's in the past when traveling for work.
Always great food and service. Food is served hot and the same holds true for the fries.

I agree with the comments above about Zaxby's. Way too much salt and high prices and service is slow.
My last two visits were walk outs after I found the rest room dirty along with the dining room tables and floor. No customers in the store and no reason to eat sodium in a dirty location.


Anonymous said...

where is the burger king on clairmont? do you mean the one at Lavista and NDH?? (I don't drive around that area nearly as often as I used to).

Anonymous said...

I agree that Zaxby’s is overly salty.

But I love Raising Cane’s. Their chicken tenders are always hot and fresh. Glad to see they are opening a new location in Georgia. I’ve had it in Houston, TX and Athens, GA and both experiences were consistently great.

Anonymous said...

KENNESAW!!! By KSU!!!

Anonymous said...

In Woodstock or Alpharetta! Cane's is great and a welcome addition!

Anonymous said...

Zaxbys is nowhere as good as they used to be. The perils of focusing on growth vs quality. The best Zaxbys in town used to be in Tucker and they literally destroyed it several years ago, tearing it down and replacing it with one of their new design restaurants. It’s awful, it’s cramped, parking isn’t even as good as it used to be, and it’s bad as the other Zaxbys now. They have absentee owners now and this is what results. Tenders are often dry and overcooked, they often seem old, same for the fries, the bread is usually hard and dry, not like before, and staff are often rude. And they often get orders wrong. I can’t wait for Raising Canes to open closer to town. My experiences have been consistently good, good service, fresh food, fresh toast, not overly salty, and the ones I’ve been to have traditional fountain Coke. I basically won’t dine in at a place that does not have traditional fountain Coke. I hope Raising Canes maintains that and the quality with the locations they open around Atlanta.

Anonymous said...

Lilburn! I love Cane’s I can’t wait until the Buford location is open!

Anonymous said...

Publix tenders are almost too big now. Canes is perfect sizing for me. And you are so right about too salty Zaxby's

Anonymous said...

Traffic already bad in this area. Considering protesting the opening…

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