If you have grown up in the Columbus, Ohio area, there is no doubt that you know what Raising Cane’s is. Opening its doors in 1996 and quickly expanding across parts of the country, this chicken tenders shop has gained an adoring fan base that lines up around the store every day just to get their hands on some tenders and sauce.
I’ll be completely honest with you here: I don’t get the hype. Quite frankly, I think Raising Cane’s is completely overrated. Below are some reasons why:
- The menu has only four items. That’s right, four. Getting dragged by your friends out to Cane’s but don’t feel like chicken that day? Well too bad, you’re getting chicken. The website technically shows six menu items, with the last two being the specialty “Cane’s Sauce” (we’ll get to that later) and a drink (who wouldn’t get a drink? Why put that front-and-center on the menu?)
- The chicken is sub-par at best. I think fanatics of Raising Cane’s can agree with me here that without Cane’s Sauce, the chicken is just, well, regular old chicken. Would it be too extreme to compare it to Tyson’s frozen chicken strips? I think not.
- The fries are just not it. If y’all thought I was being harsh on the chicken well be prepared, because the fries are just not that good. These literally are the equivalent of crinkle-cut freezer fries and they are only good if you douse them in salt. End of discussion.
- Cane’s Sauce is glorified Thousand Island Dressing. There, I said it. And you know what? I stand by it. People go absolutely crazy over this sauce for no reason. They put it on almost anything. I’ve had it, but I’ll tell you right now it isn’t worth sitting in a 20 minute line for…
As I’ve said before on this topic, I’m willing to die on this hill. I really have no reason to hate Raising Cane’s. There’s even some redeemable qualities to this place. The service is always great, the toast is actually pretty damn good, and the crushed ice in the pop machines is a nice touch. Plus, I have to respect the origin story of this place.
For anyone who asks me why I think Cane’s is overrated, I can now gladly point them to this article. I may even pin it to my Twitter bio (okay, probably not, I’m not that invested). If you like Cane’s though, that’s okay, just do me a favor and please don’t ask me to go with you.
