The popular fast-food restaurant Raising Canes has expressed plans to expand the chain to new locations in Michigan, namely Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, in the coming years. Numerous Grand Valley State University students have expressed excitement regarding the expansion’s announcement.
In Michigan, Raising Cane’s is currently only based in East Lansing and Canton, but is aiming to open more than 20 new eateries across the state over the next decade. The chicken-finger company, which was founded in 1996 in Louisiana, and has over 800 locations across 43 states.
Dustin Shearer, Raising Cane’s VP of Company Restaurants, told MLive that the chain is seeking to open additional locations in Metro Detroit, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw, and put themselves on the map in West Michigan. According to Shearer, “We love the energy and excitement Raising Canes has garnered across Michigan, and hope to bring our brand to more of the state.”
In 2022, the restaurant first established itself in East Lansing. The Detroit Free Press reported that when the Canton location opened this February, hundreds of people waited for the eatery to open, and that two brothers admitted to waiting around 14 hours for the doors to unlock.
On the state’s west side, many GVSU students love Raising Cane’s, despite the nearest location to the University being over 50 miles away.
Bridie Tolley, a GVSU student from Chicago, said, “Every time I go home, that’s (Raising Cane’s) the first place I go. My mom actually called me yesterday to tell me that she got Cane’s.”
Tolley added that one time, her roommates drove to Indiana to buy the chain’s famous chicken.
Another student, Alexandria Stephens, said her boyfriend is a student at Michigan State, and that she enjoys stopping at the restaurant when visiting him.
“This morning, I literally texted my boyfriend asking, ‘Can we get Cane’s this weekend?’” Stephens said.
What makes Raising Cane’s so good that it’s worth driving out of state for? Since the chain began, it has grown to perfect the chicken-tender niche by adding a combination of Texas toast, crinkle-cut fries, homemade lemonade and their “secret sauce.” Its rapid growth has seemingly been geared toward college towns, and collaborations with brands and celebrities, such as Post Malone, the Dallas Cowboys and the USA Bobsled/Skeleton team, have furthered its hype among customers. The brand also offers catering options for parties and sporting events, and many locations are open past midnight.
Currently, Cane III, a Labrador Retriever, is the chain’s beloved mascot. Her predecessor, Cane II, was a former therapy dog that regularly visited hospital patients. The original Cane was the doggy companion of Todd Graves, the restaurant founder that inspired it all. Many customers are happy to subscribe to the notion that the chain was based on a pet’s real-life legacy.
While the potential of Raising Cane’s being a quick bus ride or drive to Grand Rapids is exciting, the definitive dates and fruition timeline for the expansion project remain relatively unknown.
