Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers cut the ribbon on their first Volusia County location Tuesday morning, July 23, in front of a celebratory crowd of Caniacs and local dignitaries.
The enthusiasm for opening day was evident in the boisterous crowd, estimated at 350 people, that snaked about a half mile long, beginning at the restaurant's front door and ending along Williamson Boulevard.
Jansen Wilhelm and his boyfriend, Ashten Blanchard, were first in line, having gotten to the Daytona Beach Raising Cane's, located at 2451 W. International Speedway Blvd., at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday. "We've been sitting here ever since." Mr. Wilhelm said shortly before the ribbon cutting was to happen.
Folks who are dedicated to eating Raising Cane's are known as Caniacs. In fact, there is a club called the Caniac® Club! that Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers organizes.
How did Mr. Wilhelm and Mr. Blanchard catch Caniac fever?
Mr. Wilhelm explained he first had Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers when he lived in Ohio, "And when I moved to Florida, I introduced him to the restaurant because it was always my favorite."
With no Raising Cane's in Florida at that time, the couple drove six hours to South Carolina so Mr. Blanchard could have his first Raising Cane's meal.
Roughly one month later, the first Miami location was announced. They made it to the Maimi Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers about a week after it opened and haven't stopped since.
"We've been to every Raising Cane's in the state as they've opened, Orlando Tampa, West Palm Beach, Miami," Mr. Wilhelm said. "We love the way that they treat their customers here, their employees here, everything here is just so amazing. And the food is great."
Of the food, Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Wilhelm said their favorite menu selection is The Box Combo (four chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Cane's sauce, Texas Toast, coleslaw, and either a regular fountain drink or tea).
Mr. Wilhelm had the honor of placing the first order. He paired The Box Combo with a sweet tea.
The couple has a commonality with NASCAR Driver and Victoria's Secret model Toni Breidinger. She was present for the day's festivities. Ms. Breidinger favors The Box Combo and said her drink of choice is usually "an unsweetened tea or lemonade."
Ms. Breidinger has been endorsed by Raising Canes for about two years. She has done promotional work for the restaurant chain in many cities. However, Daytona Beach "Is my first grand opening," she informed.
The same could be said for Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher, who had never eaten Raising Cane's. "But everyone that I've talked to in the past 24 hours say that this is some of the best chicken tenders that you can ever get."
Mr. Feacher spoke of what it means that Raising Cane's picked Daytona Beach as location number one in Volusia County. "Since Daytona Beach is the hub of Volusia County, I think it's great to see this right on our main corridor down from International Speedway, our colleges and universities. So not only college students, but residents and tourists, I think, are going to enjoy this place that people are talking about all over the country."
The restaurant is decorated in a Daytona Beach race care motif with nods to Vince Carter, Bob Ross and Denzel Washington. Exceptions are an Elvis Presley portrait and that of a dog.
The Elvis portrait is included because Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers founder Todd Graves admires The King of Rock and Roll and needed to cover a hole in the first Cane's, so he used an Elvis towel in a frame to do so. It has become a tradition to hang an Elvis portrait in every Raising Cane’s ever since.
The dog photo is that of the restaurant's namesake. Per their website, a friend suggested Mr. Graves name the restaurant after his yellow Labrador Retriever, Raising Cane, who was always with Mr. Graves at the construction site of their first location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That first Raising Canes Chicken Fingers was opened in 1996.
In a piece of great news for Caniacs who like to travel, Raising Cane’s has grown to over 700 locations in five countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
More locally, they are targeting Deltona for their next Volusia County location. There are 16 Florida locations at the moment, with planned openings in Altamonte Springs and Winter Park before the end of the year.
As for the Daytona Beach Raising Cane's, City Manager Feacher said, "I think it's an essential part of how we're transforming our community, making sure that we have different types of eateries that satisfy not only our residents but also the visitors."
The Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Daytona Beach is open 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
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Photo credits: Me and Raising Cane’s
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