Raising Canes’s, a small restaurant chain that began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is located at the NEX on the Norfolk Naval base is open to the public, but is about a 30-minute drive from the school. They are known for their irresistible chicken tenders, toast, French fries, and most popularly their Cane’s sauce.
According to Raising Cane’s website, while some people dream of becoming an astronaut or even the president, founder Todd Graves dreamed of opening an amazing Chicken Finger Restaurant. the first location opened. It was the start of Grave’s commitment to serve craveable Chicken Finger meals, with a great crew, a cool culture and actively involved within the community it serves. Furthermore, Graves decided to name the restaurant after his yellow lab, “Raising Cane”.
Raising Cane’s Virginia Beach location is the only one within the confines of the city, so it is more of a destination than lots of the other restaurants typically reviewed, but it is well worth it for those who have never had it. Their hours of operation are Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
The menu is traditional as they specialize in chicken tenders, toast, French fries, and their Canes sauce. These items all come in their combo meals where there are different amounts of food in each. All combos come with anywhere from 3-6 tenders, one piece of toast, French fries, cole slaw, Cane’s sauce, and a fountain drink. Their combo options can satisfy all levels of hunger.
We were excited to test out the hype behind the restaurant and both were very fond of it. We both ordered the “Caniac Combo” which came with 6 tenders, toast, fries, and Cane’s sauce as they substituted the cole slaw for an extra piece of toast.
As we put the warm tenders into our mouth, we enjoyed them, but they didn’t live up to the hype. On the other hand, the toast exceeded expectations as we both raved about it. Our favorite part of the meal was the “Perfect Bite” consisting of the toast, tender, sauce, and fry all in one sandwich. We enjoyed this so much that we both gave it the infamous 10/10, the first 10/10’s of the year.
The customer service was terrific for a fast food restaurant as the food came out within a few minutes fresh and hot. The workers were helpful as they made sure everything ordered was correct and asked if any extra assistance was needed.
Overall, the hype behind Cane’s is well-deserved. The drive to get there may be a little long but both thought it was well worth it. The easy process of getting a hefty amount of food intrigued both as they left with full bellies. We recommend Raising Cane’s for those who have free time and are willing to test the hype.
