Credit: Marcus Ramos
By Marcus Ramos
Raising Cane’s, the popular Louisiana fast food chain, opened its first Queens location on July 9. The grand opening was held at 39-20 Main St in Flushing.
Originally founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996, Raising Cane’s is a restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken. The restaurant is known for its limited yet high-quality offerings, such as fresh chicken tenders, and their famous Cane’s sauce. The company recently began efforts to extend the brand, opening new locations throughout the country. Currently, their sights are set on New York, with 6 locations already established, 4 in Manhattan and 2 in Brooklyn respectively.
To celebrate the grand opening, community events were held before the doors opened at 9 A.M. This included a raffle awarding 20 participants one year of free Raising Cane’s, a traditional Chinese Lion Dance to bring good luck for the location, and a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The unveiling was attended by over 100 New Yorkers, with a line wrapping from the front of the store to around the block. They all shared an excitement about the chain expanding into their borough. One local in attendance gave their opinion on the brand spreading to Queens.
“I feel like New York City can use more stuff like that. I feel like it’s amazing given that when Raising Cane’s first came up to the city, Manhattan was the first to see it so it’s great that now it’s in Queens.”
Glow Cultural Center and the New York Hall of Science each received $1000 from Cane’s.
Doreen Lebel, one of the raffle winners, shared a positive outlook on the fast-food outlet.
“The thing is, you got a lot of other chicken places around here, so there is a lot of competition,” Lebel said. “But at the same time, you at least put something new where it can make a change around here.”
As part of the event, Cane’s also presented checks to the Glow Cultural Center and New York Hall of Science, each receiving a thousand dollars.
Before the ribbon cutting, the employees reflected their gratitude for being established in Flushing.
“We are so excited to join the Flushing community, and be a part of all your families.”
The location will be open daily, from 9 A.M. to 2 A.M., with dine-in and carry-out options available.
