It’s official: Raising Cane’s plans chicken restaurants for Fresno, Clovis. What we know
If you’re a regular reader of The Bee, you already know that Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is planning to open its chicken-centric restaurant in Clovis.
We reported that news back in October when the company applied for permission with the City of Clovis to open a drive-thru on the site of the now-closed Pier 1 at the northwest corner of Shaw and Cole avenues.
It got that permission.
But the company has been tight lipped all this time, declining to confirm its plans in Clovis or comment about its broader expansion plans when The Bee reached out.
Now it’s speaking up – a little – and has said it’s looking to open other locations in the area, including in Fresno.
It’s planning to open more than 20 new locations in northern California in 2021 and 2022.
In an emailed statement from the company, it said: “Currently we are planning to build a restaurant in Clovis and celebrate its opening in 2022. In addition, Cane’s is looking at several other locations in the area including Fresno, Sacramento, Stockton, and Vacaville.”
It may be a while before we hear more specifics about where in Fresno or elsewhere as the company will likely finish the long process of negotiating leases before sharing the locations.
The food
Raising Cane’s is a quick-service restaurant from Baton Rouge. It’s unique in that it only has one entree option on the menu: chicken fingers.
You can get meals that come with two, three, four or six chicken fingers. All come with french fries, Texas toast and coleslaw. Or, you can get three chicken fingers in sandwich form.
The restaurant has about 500 locations nationwide, with drive-thrus that are thriving during the coronavirus pandemic.
Raising Cane is the name of the founder’s dog — a friendly yellow lab featured in the restaurant’s marketing.
The Clovis location
Plans call for Pier 1 to be knocked down and Raising Cane’s to build a smaller building in its spot. Work hasn’t started yet and with a planned opening in 2022, it could be a while before it does.
The drive-thru would take up much of the rest of the property. It would feature two lanes with room for 20 cars – more than the city requires – that funnel into one lane.
During busy lunch and dinner times, workers walk out to cars, using tablets for customers to order and pay for food. Workers then run the food to the cars, meaning some cars won’t go past a pick-up window at all.
Raising Cane’s recently opened two locations in Bakersfield. The company also bought property in Hanford (at the southwest corner of 12th and Lacey avenues).
