Fans wait for hours at Raising Cane's first metro Detroit eatery

Yahoo

04-02-2025

The wait is over and hungry fans who waited hours in the cold for the highly anticipated opening of metro Detroit's first Raising Cane's location in Canton Township.
With blankets, sleeping bags, and bundled in hats, gloves, and layers of clothing, hundreds of people eagerly awaited the opening of the first metro Detroit Raising Cane's location on ford Road. Some folks started to wait in line on Monday evening.
Henry and Joshua Cox, 18, of Canton were Raising Cane's first customers. The twin brothers camped out, staying warm in sleeping bags all night, arriving at the restaurant at 7 p.m. Monday. It was 14 hours later when doors opened and the brothers walked through a tunnel of Raising Cane's staff greeting them with cheers and ringing of cow bells.
'We had it (Raising Cane's) in California a couple months ago,' Joshua Cox said. 'The sauce is good paired with the chicken.
By 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to Raising Cane's officials, more than 100 people were in line awaiting the chain's opening, offering giveaways, a chance to win Raising Cane for a year, and to meet Detroit Lion's punter Jack Fox, who served the first drive-thru customer and signed autographs.
Groups in line spoke of traveling to the Raising Cane's near Toledo, Ohio. A Raising Cane's location is in East Lansing and other Michigan locations are planned.
Alexis Thornton, 23, of Canton, wrapped in a blanket, and David Farrell of Detroit stood out for 10 hours awaiting the opening. They gave a shout-out to the sauce, calling it a 'peppery' and 'unique.'
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'It's the chicken fingers that are tasty and the sweet and peppery matches with the tenders,' Thornton said. 'We would drive through Perrysburg, Ohio, to stop at one. '
Farrell, originally from Texas, said it's where he first tried Raising Cane's.
'As soon as I heard, I knew I had to be here,' Farrell, who along with Thornton likes the sauce as well as Raising Cane's Texas Toast.
'You definitely know how to throw an opening,' Ann Marie Graham-Hudak, Canton Township supervisor said at the ribbon cutting.
Thomas Paden, president of the Canton Chamber of Commerce, called the hype 'representative of our community' and 'unbelievable' of the lengthy line of people in front and surrounding the Canton's Raising Cane's.
'There's a lot of hype around Canton Township and Raising Cane's is a thriving business coming to a thriving community,' Paden said. 'We are happy to have them.'
As part of the opening, Raising Cane's awarded 20 random winners free Raising Cane's for a year as three box combos a month for 12 months.
Bill Schofield, 53, of Dearborn, who said he arrived at 7:30 a.m., was the first name drawn. He was there with his daughter Eve.
'She loves Cane's … the Texas toast, chicken, and the sauce … and said we have to be here for the grand opening,' Schofield said.
Darwin Morgan of Livonia, whose daughter loves chicken in general, was winner No. 10. He arrived at 7 a.m. while his daughter was at school and said he planned to surprise her with the chicken.
Emily Leach, 23 of Belleville, who loves Raising Cane's sauce, said she arrived at the Canton Raising Cane's with 9-month-old son Kai in tow.
'He brought me luck … and we won,' Leach said.
Founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the chain is known for its "One Love" slogan and meals featuring hand-battered and cooked-to-order chicken fingers served with Cane's sauce, crinkle-cut fries, Cane's toast, and coleslaw.
Its chicken tenders are plump and juicy and nicely breaded. Cane's sauce – a creamy concoction – does have a peppery, almost Cajun spice to it. Raising Cane's chicken fingers are sold in three, four, and six sizes as combinations with crinkle cut fries, cole slaw, Texas toast, and drink. Prices rangefrom $9.89 to $16.59. On the menu is also a chicken fingers sandwich.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fans wait for hours at Raising Cane's eatery opening in Canton