Raising Cane’s to Open First Essex County Location in Fairfield
Anyone who’s traveled beyond the Garden State knows about the long list of popular fast food chains that we just don’t have (yet), like In-N-Out, Saxby’s, and Whataburger. But come late 2025, Northern New Jersey residents will no longer have to miss out because a Louisiana-founded fast food chicken spot is making its way up Route 46. Raising Cane's, best known for its chicken fingers and signature sauce, has plans to open its first Northern New Jersey location in Essex County at 645 US-46, Fairfield. Read on for what to know about Raising Cane's bringing its chicken fingers and southern charm to Essex County, New Jersey.
The Details
Northern New Jersey residents will no longer have to experience FOMO whenever they see a Raising Cane's mukbang on social media. The South's beloved fast food spot will open on Route 46 in Fairfield sometime this fall or winter at the former Houlihan's, as per NorthJersey.com.
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As of this writing, there are six Raising Cane's locales in New Jersey, all of which are located in Southern New Jersey. This Northern New Jersey expansion is part of a larger wave of new chains popping up around the Garden State, including in Edison, where it will be the first Central New Jersey site, as per My Central Jersey, and Glassboro, which opened to the public in January. According to NorthJersey.com, the franchise has proposed plans for another spot in Watchung.
Upon opening, locals can indulge in a menu of all things chicken fingers. The restaurant also serves Texas toast, crinkle-cut fries, chicken sandwiches, coleslaw, and its signature Cane Sauce.
About Raising Cane's
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In 1994, Todd Graves proposed an idea in a college business class for a restaurant that only serves chicken fingers. Because his professor believed it wouldn't be successful, his plan received the lowest grade in the class, as per the business's website. Sticking to his original concept, Todd eventually went to the banks to ask for a loan, but no one was willing to try.
After humble beginnings, the franchise first opened at Lousiana State University in Baton Rouge by then-24-year-old Todd in 1996. Todd first planned to name his restaurant Sockeye’s, "as a tribute to his time in Alaska," the website reads. But after working on the franchise's first construction site, he named the company after his Labrador, Raising Cane.
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What first started as a campus grub spot has turned into a fast food empire. Raising Cane's now has over 800 locations across the country, with 118 of them opening in 2024.
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