Raising Canes, a chicken finger restaurant, was first founded in 1996 by Todd Graves in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The restaurant was named after Graves’ dog, Raising Cane. It was based on a business idea he had created while still in college for a chicken-fingers chain. In 2025, there are now more than 840 locations nationwide, and is widely regarded as one of the one of the best chicken finger spots in the U.S. They are known for their Raising Canes sauce, which is described as like a comeback sauce or a spicy take on Thousand Island dressing. This sauce is creamy, tangy, and delicately spicy. It is frequently said to be a “tangy, sweet, and savory” sensation with a hint of pepper warmth.
And they are overrated.
On Feb. 4, a new Raising Cane’s location opened in Canton, Michigan, and my friends and I went to review it. This was a highly anticipated restaurant opening statewide, as there was only one other location in Michigan, located by Michigan State University, with a third location not set to open until June of 2025.
We got there around 12:30 p.m., and to our surprise, it wasn’t that long of a line. It only took us about 40 minutes or so to get our food, which is much faster than we anticipated. We all got their chicken finger combos, with their famous sauce of course.
When I first took a bite of my first chicken finger, to my surprise, I tasted nothing. The chicken itself was bland. I then tried it with the sauce, and I then realized that that is what the hype is about. The sauce was a creamy, tangy, savory sauce, and complemented with the chicken very well. To me, a good chicken place, first and foremost, has to have good chicken itself, even when it is not paired with any sauces or sides. I feel as if it is not a valid spot if you have to pair a sauce or side to a dish to make it flavorful and enjoyable. Sauces should be a compliment and add-on to a dish, not the main attraction.
But don’t take just my word for it.
“The chicken is lowkey bland by itself, and the sauce really carries for real,” said Zanei Patterson, a senior at Huron who also tried Canton’s new location. Patterson expressed that chicken was not that good to him, and that he was disappointed after making that drive and having that high anticipation for the place. It was a let down for him. “I can’t lie, I can’t see myself coming back here again to be honest.”
Food taste and opinions are subjective as always, everybody likes what they like. As for my peers and I, we don’t get the nationwide hype behind this establishment.
