Crave-worthy chicken joint Raising Cane’s wants to open in Edison

Are you a Caneiac?

Taylor Swift fans are called Swifties. Lady Gaga fans are called Little Monsters. You know a fast-food restaurant has reached rockstar status when their fans call themselves something. For fans of Raising Cane’s, it’s Caneiacs.

They’ve won people over, serving a very limited menu. Their chicken? Only chicken fingers. That’s it. People said you can’t make a go of it by serving only chicken fingers. People were wrong. Throw in some fries and Texas toast, and that’s about all they need. Even their chicken sandwich is simply three chicken fingers in a bun.

The first one opened in the mid-90s in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Now, there are more than 600 with four New Jersey locations. For Caneiacs, that’s not nearly enough. Especially when those are all in South Jersey: Burlington, Cherry Hill, Marlton, and Deptford.

Now, Raising Cane is trying to come to Edison. They are seeking approval from the Planning Board for a location at 1031 Route 1, the site of a bank in the area of the Edison Crossroads shopping center. They want it to be a drive-thru, so they will need a variance. The proposal is scheduled to be heard on Nov. 18.

Can Edison say no to this? Do they want Middlesex County to be overrun with angry Caneiacs?

Seriously though, it will open up a whole new region of New Jersey to the growing giant. I hope it goes through for them.

Crazy fun fact. Raising Cane’s didn’t get its name, how you might think. The chicken fingers joint was launched by Todd Graves in 1996, and his dog, a yellow Lab, was named Raising Cane. He needed a name. The dog needed a chicken finger.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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