Raising Cane's Sets Major Expansion

A taste of Louisiana is coming to the West Coast. Raising Cane's, the Louisiana-based fast food chain known for its fried chicken fingers and signature sauces, is set to expand its empire in Washington State. The fast food restaurant has reportedly filed plans to open a nearly 6,000 square feet location in Seattle, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

News of the expansion was revealed in August when Raising Cane's submitted records to the City of Seattle. According to those records, the fast food chain is planning to fill nearly 6,000 square feet, an area previously taken up by American Apparel, on University Way Northeast in the University District. The project is expected to cost $2 million, per the records, but further details about the expansion remain unclear. Raising Cane's has not officially announced the proposed new location.

Although a tentative opening date for the University District location is unclear, news of it comes just months after Raising Cane's teased it would be heading to Seattle. Back in May, the restaurant chain wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "We'll be in Seattle in 2025." The statement sparked plenty of excitement, with one person replying to the post, "IVE NEEDED THIS MY WHOLE LIFE." Somebody else wrote, "ABOUT D¬- TIME."

The planned Seattle location will be among its first in Washington. The fast food chain is expected to open its first Washington restaurant in Vancouver sometime next year. The Columbian reported that filed pre-application documents with the city of Vancouver proposing a 3,026-square-foot, one-story building, along with 32 parking spaces, for the northeast corner of Southeast 126th Avenue and Mill Plain Boulevard. The pre-application notes, "the addition of this neighborhood Raising Cane's complements the existing development in the area and will provide a convenient and fun location for patrons to enjoy quality food with friends and family." In a statement, Julia Doyle, director of public relations for Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, said, "We are so excited to bring Vancouver Caniacs our One Love, quality chicken finger meals, in 2024."

Founded by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996, Raising Cane's is an American fast-food chain specializing in chicken fingers. The chain has since expanded to include hundreds of locations nationwide, though most are in the southeast, with Raising Cane's in recent years beginning to expand to the Pacific Northwest.