A restaurant chain that specializes in chicken fingers plans a big expansion in Georgia.
Raising Cane’s says it will open at least 10 locations in metro Atlanta, with the first restaurant coming to Dacula.
“We are excited about Atlanta,” Raising Cane’s CEO AJ Kumaran said in a phone interview. “We started rapidly expanding in other states about a year ago, and Georgia is on the list.”
The Dacula restaurant will open at 3845 Braselton Highway in February of 2023. It will be near the Hamilton Creek Plaza and will serve customers through its mobile app, two-lane drive thru, takeout, dine-in and patio seating.
It will also feature an open-kitchen concept that allows customers to see their chicken fingers being made. That’s what stands out about the brand, Kumaran said.
“Interesting fact, we do not have any heat lamps in our restaurants,” he said. “It’s cooked and served for you, so that makes a huge difference. We are chicken finger experts and chicken finger fanatics.”
The chicken fingers are made with 100% white meat chicken tenderloins that are marinated, hand-battered and cooked to order. The menu also includes crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas toast and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Other locations that should open in 2023 include Buford, Woodstock and Cumming.
Kumaran also said they are looking at Georgia State University, Conyers, Stockbridge, Covington, Decatur and Alpharetta.
All the locations will be company owned. The restaurants range from 3,500 square feet to 4,500 square feet, Kumaran said, with 50 to 100 seats.
In preparation for its February debut in Atlanta, Raising Cane’s says it is hiring for more than 150 jobs, from crew members to management roles.
Raising Cane’s currently has almost 700 restaurants open in 35 states and Guam. It has one restaurant in Georgia, a location that opened in Athens in 2006 near the University of Georgia.
Todd Graves and Craig Silvey launched Raising Cane’s in 1996 in Louisiana, naming the restaurant for Grave’s dog.
