[EXCLUSIVE] Raising Cane's Captures Cobb Parkway Property

ToNeTo Atlanta continues to be your number one source for updates on the Atlanta market entry of Raising Cane's and we are pleased to report that another Raising Cane's is in the works!      

A new Raising Cane's is planned for 2579 Cobb Parkway, where it will replace a Red Lobster restaurant that is currently still operating.  The new Cane's would replace both the seafood restaurant and an adjacent smaller parcel, bringing the combined property of the new Raising Cane's to 2.18 acres.  

Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last May and exited this past September , having closed about 120 restaurants over the past year or so.  The Smyrna restaurant was not previously announced to be closing, and it remains unclear when the restaurant's last day will be.   

Property records indicate that the existing Red Lobster opened in 1983 and is 8,529 square feet, whereas the new Raising Cane's will be 2,891 square feet.  The main (1.57 acre) parcel last sold at the end of 2017 for $5.5 million, according to Cobb County property records. The new Smyrna Raising Cane's would position the growing chicken chain a stone's throw from Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta.  

Representatives of Raising Cane's had their redevelopment plans unanimously approved by the City of Smyrna License and Variance Board at the group's July 9 meeting.   

When it opens, the new Smyrna Raising Cane's will mark the chain's second unit in Cobb County.  

Raising Cane's, along with Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, were in 2021 linked to the proposed redevelopment of the Barnes & Noble at Cobb Parkway and Akers Mill Road, but those plans failed to materialize.  A conversion of the bookstore into a new "flagship" RaceTrac is reportedly still in the works.  

The growing chicken chain is the latest quick-serve restaurant to open in the Smyrna/Cumberland area, following the January 2024 opening of Whataburger at Akers Mill Square and the June 2025 opening of Shake Shack at The Battery Atlanta.  

There are also locations of both KFC and Chick-fil-A not far away.  

Previously with just one Georgia location in Athens, Raising Cane's has in recent years opened new locations in Dacula, Buford, Woodstock, Snellville, Duluth, and McDonough.  

ToNeTo Atlanta has reported on several other upcoming Cane's locations, including those planned for Kennesaw, Buckhead, West Midtown, Conyers, Cumming, and Dunwoody.  The chain is also opening in Valdosta.   

For those unfamiliar - aka non-"Caniacs" - of which there don't seem to be many, Raising Cane's features a very simple menu with a focus on fried chicken fingers.  Menu offerings also include a fried chicken sandwich, crinkle-cut fries, Texas Toast, coleslaw, and not much else.     

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. 

Earlier this year, the company surpassed 900 Raising Cane's restaurants across 40 states.  

Are you excited about the opening of Raising Cane's in metro Atlanta?  Who do you think makes the best chicken tenders?  Where else in metro Atlanta would you like to see Raising Cane's open? 

Please share your thoughts below.