Chicken wars heat up with latest Raising Cane’s expansion

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is ending the year with a surge of new stores.

The Plano, Texas-based chain said it plans to open 14 restaurants across the country in December, bringing its brick-and-mortar presence to more than 950 locations. There has been “a steady rhythm of grand openings throughout 2025” as Raising Cane’s “continues to grow its national footprint,” according to the company. It will have rolled out nearly 100 restaurants this year, according to a spokeswoman for the chain.

Raising Cane’s long-term target is to have more than 1,600 restaurants nationwide.

Chicken — be it tenders, fingers, sandwiches, wings or other forms of the white meat — has been a growing category in the U.S. dining sector. Raising Cane’s has direct competitors in the chicken finger arena such as Layne's Chicken Fingers. And national players such as Chick-fil-A, KFC, Popeyes Louisiana Chicken, Church’s Texas Chicken and even McDonald’s and Burger King have some sort of chicken items on their menus, ranging from sandwiches to strips to fingers to nuggets.

The Raising Cane’s restaurants scheduled to open next month include its first one at a theme park, at Universal City in California.

Here's the list:

• 1470 Friendly Road, Redding.
• 7011 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park.
• 1000 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.

• 8718 International Drive, Orlando.
• 12025 Collegiate Way, Orlando.

• 920 Buford Road, Cumming.

• 4200 Sterling Ave., Peoria.

• 8733 U.S. 31 S., Indianapolis.

• 5800 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City.

• 7400 Baltimore Ave., College Park.

• 494 Lincoln St., Worcester.

• 2231 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas.

• 1031 U.S. 1, Edison.

• 2826 N. Germantown Parkway, Memphis.

Raising Cane’s has at least three additional locations coming to the Garden State on top of Edison, in Fairfield, Hamilton and Watchung.