I was FaceTiming with Kayla this evening, (she’s in Brooklyn, I’m in SoCal), watching her finish her dinner (she stopped for Popeye’s chicken), and it occurred to me that I could use a meal myself. So, maintaining the FaceTime session, I got in my car and drove over to the nearest Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Shoppe. I’ve been there before, but in the past, the stores were all ten miles and more from home. It’s a testament to how delicious their chicken is that the drive was worth it. And last fall, they opened up a new location two miles from my apartment (I found this out the last time I took kaylasmom to the hospital, and watched a nurse returning from a lunch run).
Anyway, I kept the FaceTime session going while I ordered and received my chicken fingers sandwich. Kayla was saying that if only there was a Raising Cane’s in New York, it would be the IDEAL place to live. So I told her to look up the nearest location to her, and she found one in Boston, MA.
It just so happens that she’s got a possibility of doing summer stock in New England this year, so if she gets one of the gigs, she’ll have that going for her. In the summer. But she was watching me chow down on her favorite sandwich TONIGHT, and it made the summer seem SO FAR AWAY. She started looking up train ticket prices (not for tonight, but there IS a long weekend coming up). She may just do it. She’s got a California friend up by the GWB, and she just texted him to find out about his weekend plans.
The only problem is there is ZERO parking there, or I would have invoked a road trip by now.
If my friend south of Boston every gets time off from caring for her very ill mom, I might grab her, drop her off for the food order and play dodge’m with pedestrians as I orbit Comm Ave, waiting for the order…
Heh. That’s sweet of you, The Vorlon. I think she’s probably going to do the day trip by train. There’s so little of the East coast she’s seen, and she wants to see it all.
Plus, after the week she just had, she could probably use it. I hope her buddy decides to come along.
How about other Dopers? At the risk of making this an IMHO thread, what’s the furthest YOU’VE day-tripped for the sake of a delicacy (and make no mistake, a chicken finger from Cane’s IS a delicacy)?
RCs is alright, but I ain’t drive’n further than a couple of miles for it. The thing that keeps me away from RCs is their dipping sauces. I mean really? No Ranch?
Cheddar’s has better fingers. You get more, AND you can get it with a side of pepper gravy.
I live in OH, so it’s a convenient place. I usually get whatever the largest combo is and make it my meal for the day. I like the sandwich combo but I don’t like the deal/price so I get more food and make a sandwich with the toast. It’s not my favorite but it’s something a little different than the usual burger places when I find myself in the fast food mood (which is a little too much lately).
Heh. There dipping sauce is my favorite! I’ve only been a couple times, and the place is definitely solid, but not something I’d drive out of my way for.
I can’t think of any place I’ve driven more than an hour to for food. I mean, I’ve made road trips based specifically around food, but those lasted several days. For a day trip? I was going to say Milwaukee for Speed Queen BBQ or Maria’s Pizza or Zaffiro’s, but, now that I think of it, we didn’t go there just for the food. It was kind of a “let’s screw around in Milwaukee today” kind of trip and, oh, by the way, there’s a few joints I really enjoy here.
Been to the one in Omaha twice. My city, an hour and a half away, is trying really hard to get one as well. I like them perfectly fine I like how they have all these photos and history information up on their walls.
My office is right next to one. I’m pretty meh on them, but I didn’t like their sauce. Without that, they’re just another fried chicken place, and I prefer dark meat chicken.
I don’t think I’ve ever driven very far specifically for a particular restaurant, although I’ve arranged some outings to include a couple of places - most notably a place around here called Ol’ South Pancake house that serves German pancakes/Dutch babies
Raising Cane’s originated in Baton Rouge, LA and was founded by LSU grads. I thought they were local-ish plus maybe in a smattering of southern states. Really surprised they’ve made it to the Midwest and to California.
It’s very good but I don’t see how the’ll keep growing with the limited menu they offer. Everybody in your group better want a box combo (or some close approximation). Several other chicken strip places have popped up that offer alternatives such as salads or wings and, although good, Canes does not have a lock on quality or flavor.
I see that one is being built a mile from my house but, lately, wife and I have been going to Slim Chicken for a bit of variety.
Limited? That’s generous. They have six items on the menu. Four if you don’t count sauce and drinks. Three if you don’t consider Texas toast as food (and you shouldn’t). I don’t get how they stay in business, much less expand.
They opened one in a nearby suburb (Harwood Heights) and I was initially curoius. It’s been there about two years but I still haven’t tried it. You see, it’s immediately next to a Portillo’s and the call of a beer and hometown favorite Italian beef, dipped, hot has been too great.
There are also recently opened Chick-Fil-A (only a few weeks old, never tried) and Culvers (tried years ago in Wisconsin) just a little south on Harlem that I’d like to try but same thing: curiosity has not overcome familiarity.
In-N-Out is just burgers & fries on the food front, and shakes for dessert, and they do fine. I trust a limited menu over an expanded one, personally. Now, I am surprised that chicken fingers have such a large cachet (burgers & fries I can understand more.)
Cane’s is becoming what I thought Zaxby’s was going to be first - a nationwide chicken finger fast food place. Not too sure what happened to Zaxby’s - poor site selection is one thing, for sure - but Cane’s is going to do all right.
Don’t forget, you can substitute items in their boxes for other items - I don’t like the cole slaw, so I sub it for extra toast.
Because they are a chicken fingers place for people who want chicken fingers. I don’t think they are the best thing ever, but at least it’s always hot and fresh when I go there. The assorted fast food places that offer fingers or a chicken sandwiches tend to serve cold and/or overcooked and dried out stuff 80% of the time I order. Even the old reliable spicy chicken from Wendy’s, that was always a safe bet in the '90s, is usually a cold rock. I’m not a Chik Fila person, but I don’t question how they stay in business. I’ve never had the Popeyes sandwich but I would go there for chicken pieces/meals, not tenders or sandwich.
I once drove a rent check from Costa Mesa to my landlord in Carlsbad, CA (about 52 miles) just so we could visit Pea Soup Andersen’s restaurant. This was in 1995, when the Carlsbad location was still a thing.
Just tried Cane’s yesterday. The chicken fingers were pretty good. Much better than Chicken Express or Chik Fil A. I don’t know why they bother with box items (1,2,3, etc. on menu). They all looked the same except for number of fingers. Might as well just ask people how many chicken strips they want, and price it that way.
Raising Cane’s was THE late-night munchie joint at LSU in the late 90s. This was before it went national. I have many fond (and a few queasy) memories of their chicken, texas toast, and special sauce.
I like how they have all these photos and history information up on their walls.