While plenty of US food chains have started to cross the border into Canada, Raising Cane’s is not yet one of them.
Despite TikTok rumours circulating earlier this year, Raising Cane’s has said it has no plans for Canada just yet. So, if you’re looking to try its famous chicken fingers and Cane’s Sauce, you’ll have to travel to the US.
While on a recent trip to Phoenix, Arizona, we visited Raising Cane’s to finally see what all the hype is about — in the name of research, of course.
Charlie Hart/Dished
If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, Raising Cane’s is a fast-food spot specializing in chicken fingers. It first opened in Louisiana in the 1990s and now has over 800 locations.
The Raising Cane’s outpost we visited looked like a classic fast-food restaurant from the outside, but the inside was pretty fancy. There was plenty of artwork adorning the walls, neon lights, and even some disco balls on the ceiling.
Charlie Hart/Dished
While it was easy to be blinded by the location, we just hoped the food would be just as good. As Raising Cane’s menu is exclusively chicken fingers and a couple of sides, the ordering process was simple.
We opted for the Box Combo, which came with a drink, four chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, a slice of Texas Toast, coleslaw, and the all-important Cane’s Sauce. The total for the meal was US$12.93 (around C$17.89), so it was comparable to most other fast food joints, and there was a lot of food.
For a restaurant that only serves chicken fingers, we had high hopes, and they did not disappoint. The batter was perfectly crispy, but the chicken was still very juicy and perfect for dipping in Cane’s Sauce.
Any Raising Cane’s fan will tell you that no trip is complete without the Cane’s Sauce. People go crazy for the stuff and literally order it by the cupful, but on this occasion, we just stuck to the regular size.
The sauce itself is creamy and tangy. While we don’t know exactly what’s in it, it tastes a bit like ketchup and mayo mixed together, yet amped up somehow.
Charlie Hart/Dished
Would we want a whole cup? Probably not. Is it ground-breaking? Also, no, but it pairs really well with the chicken and fries, so we certainly wouldn’t skip it.
The meal also included Texas Toast, which, honestly, was nothing special. It’s just a very thick slice of bread that’s buttered and broiled. Not an essential eat, by any means.
The only real failure was the coleslaw. It’s a fast food restaurant, so the veggies will be few and far between, but the coleslaw was completely flavourless, so it was left pretty much untouched.
Having finally tried Raising Cane’s, we get the hype. If you’re a chicken finger aficionado, you really can’t go wrong. There’s a reason so many people love the spot.
While Raising Cane’s has said it won’t open in Canada anytime soon, consider this an official petition.
Do you want to see Raising Cane’s open in Canada? Let us know in the comments.