Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers – a Fast-Food Review

Location: Sterling, Virginia

by dc mallory

We recently had a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers fast-food restaurant open in our neighborhood. I was practically giddy with excitement as I love chicken fingers above nearly all else in the fast-food environment. I could imagine a variety of sauces – mild, hot, super-hot, and just-kill-me-now hot sauce. Gallons of iced tea, both sweetened and unsweetened. Barrels of cole slaw. Ah, life is good. So off I went to brave the endless lines of the newly opened store in the fast-food chain.

The restaurant opened on Tuesday, but alas, I was at work. So, I waited until Friday, when I was off, and took a trip up to see what was happening. It was 1100 am when I arrived at the restaurant, and already the drive-in lanes – they have two just like the majority of Chick-Fil-A’s – were stretched down the road. The line to enter the store to order was likewise long and slow; it stretched out the door and into the parking lot. Having never eaten at Raising Cane’s before, I had no idea what they even carried as far as menu items. Standing in the parking lot left me too far from the menu boards inside the establishment, so I just waited patiently. Well, that’s not one hundred percent true, as I am patiently diminished in being patient. I had someone save my place in line, fought my way inside the store, and asked one of the workers for a take-out menu. I went back to my place in line and began to peruse the menu. Wow! The Three Finger Meal is $9.49 consisting of three fingers, crinkle-Cut Fries, cole slaw, one container of Cane’s Sauce, Texas Toast, and a 22-ounce fountain drink. The Four Finger Meal is the same, except you get four fingers for a price of 10.49. The Caniac Combo, for a price of 15.89, is six chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, two cane’s sauces, Texas Toast, Coleslaw, and a thirty-two-ounce fountain drink. Hmmm, prices seem a little high but whatever; it seems every fast-food place anymore is more than I care to pay, but it is what it is.

So after ordering, it took about 15 minutes to get the food. This gave me time to hit the drink area and get a large, sweetened iced tea. I gulped down half of it and refilled it before the food came. And what about the food? Well, I am glad to say the chicken fingers were completely acceptable; not great, but not bad either. They were warm but not hot, which was to become a thing with the food. Cane’s sauce looks to be ketchup mixed with mayonnaise. I’m relatively sure this is not the case, but that is what it reminded me of. Oh, and as for the other causes like mild or hot or beyond. Ah, no. There are no other sauces. You get what comes with the meal, and that is it. If you need more, you pay for each additional container of sauce you might need. The crinkle-cut fries were cold and raw. This is depressing because a fry done right is a joy; a fry done wrong is just nasty. The Texas Toast was cold as well, but maybe it is supposed to be. I can’t imagine that’s the case, but I have to find a bright spot somewhere. Of course, everything might have been cold as they were cooking ahead to meet demand, but it was not in their best interest if this were the case. That brings us to the cole slaw. Now I know everyone has different tastes when it comes to cole slaw, and I am no different. To me, the best fast-food cole slaw comes from KFC. I love it. The cole slaw served with the Caniac Combo? I took one bite, spit it out, and fed the rest to the garbage can; it was horrid. There are absolutely no words to describe it. At least the iced tea was sweet.

I realized that this restaurant was just opened, and perhaps the workers were not quite into the swing of getting the food ready. I hope this is the case. Unfortunately, I am sure they don’t make the cole slaw on-site, so I’m convinced it will never be what I expect cole slaw to be. Others may love it; I mean, many must like it as the chain is huge. Still, I will not be going back. There were just too many things that I did not enjoy about the food. I guess it’s a good thing that there is a Chick-Fil-A right across the street from it. I would give this eating experience two stars.