I can’t tell you how many years have passed since I first learned about Raising Cane’s and the day I tasted my first chicken finger from the restaurant. I do know I ate my first meal at Raising Cane’s on March 29, 2018. It was a great Thursday before Good Friday.
Wendi and I had left our home in Wooster, and we were slowly making our way down to Florida for a wedding. Our actual dinner plans involved eating the famed Certified Angus Beef ribeye steak at the Scioto Ribber in Portsmouth, Ohio. Wendi had texted a college friend of hers, Lisa, to see if she wanted to meet us at the Scioto Ribber for dinner, but she was actually like an hour and 45 minutes away.
Wendi frantically worked the Google Maps app on her Google Pixel 2, as we headed south on Interstate 71 north of Columbus. If we went to the restaurant and then visited her friend, it would add about two hours to our trip. However, we discovered if we rerouted our trip through Racine, Ohio, to see our friend, it would be the same time as if we had just ate at the restaurant and continued south. So, at the last minute, we decided to visit Lisa, and I decided we were finally going to Raising Cane’s.
I first learned about the restaurant when Ryan Mack posted on Facebook. I can’t remember if it was back in 2014, 2015 or later. But, it has been years since I wanted to visit the restaurant to try these famed chicken fingers. They recently opened a location in North Canton. We actually went once, but the line was so long, I said no way. I am not waiting in a line to eat chicken fingers.
So, we passed on it. We thought about trying to visit the North Canton location again, but I didn’t feel like making the drive. However, as we were making our way toward Florida, and we realized it would be far better to visit Lisa than eat at the Scioto Ribber, we turned off at the Polaris exit and eventually found Raising Cane’s. This location has been opened a while, so we didn’t have to wait in a long line.
We decided to share a Caniac Combo: Six chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and a 32-ounce drink. We also got an extra piece of toast. Well, the wait was finally over, and now I had my Raising Cane’s.
Let me say, the chicken is very good. The food was hot and fresh. The chicken tenders were, well, how do I say it? Oh, yeah, tender. Very tender. They had a nice taste. The seasoning wasn’t over-powering. It was a nice, clean, fresh taste. I was a little disappointed with the fries. The chicken was so good, but the fries were so average. Just your run-of-the-mill frozen, crinkle-cut fries that were deep fried. Nothing special. Nothing redeeming. Just fries. The Cane’s Sauce was a great addition. It added to the chicken’s flavor; it did not detract. I can’t pinpoint what the flavor is, but it is nice, not too spicy.
I found the Texas toast to be intriguing. The bread had a sweet taste to it. It also reminded me of an unsliced hot dog bun you would get in New England, except it had some sesame seeds on it. I would have preferred garlic toast, but, oh, well. Also, the bread did not seem toasted. It was more like buttered and grilled bread. Still, it was pretty good.
I am glad we finally went. It was a nice meal in a clean atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely go again. I am not sure I would make a special trip to North Canton just for Raising Cane’s, but I definitely would eat there if I were in the neighborhood.
