6: Raising Cane's is the posterchild for what American fast food should be

 

CAAAAANES.

If it's a Cane's day, it's a good day. That's all that needs to be said.

In a world where we're surrounded by fast food options from left to right, each trying to snatch our dollar and make us loyal customers, only one of them doesn't feel like a dirty word. Only one of them feels like a privilege to attend, and not a slight to our values. Only one of them feels like a joint with an identity, untouched by the corruptive powers of corporatism, reaching a hand out to be friends. And it's Raising Cane's. Or maybe none of that's true, and it's just working really well.

But it's not just me. This is a phenomenon. Whenever I hear one of my friends went to Cane's, I'm like "LETS GOOOOO". And they do the same for me. Because Raising Cane's is a cultural staple. This is undisputed.

But... why is this? How does this chicken tender vendor soar above the competition, not only in results, but in pure word of mouth?

The Environment

I love Popeye's to death, I truly do. But whenever I step up to order, I am met with the most cold, unenthusiastic, and distant servers of all time. I know fast food workers are just trying to get through the day and earn their minimum wage, but my brother in Christ, I am not your therapist. I just want my tendies and bold BBQ sauce. Can you at least pretend that you give even 1% of a crap about your job? And like I said before, this experience seems universal. Popeye's seem to always be in sketchy areas and whenever I order I feel like I'm giving documents to the DMV receptionist instead of ordering my Louisiana fast.

But Cane's. Far from it. In every Raising Cane's, I feel RESPECTED. I feel VINDICATED. And I feel PROUD to have chosen it as my food selection for the day. Sometimes I look back at the people in the kitchen, and they're all so active, yelling out orders, throwing sauces in to-go bags, salting fries, and handing them to the servers and waiters. And very importantly, I don't feel like I've made lifelong enemies with the employees just for saying I want to purchase food.

The buildings look nice, with a consistent aesthetic. They have disco balls. Brick walls with fun things hung up. Clean furniture. Consistent outdoor seating (which goes SO hard). When you walk into a Cane's, you get the impression that it was designed for you to walk into it, and that's a good thing.

The Menu

It's so simple, but the menu at this particular fast food place is expertly crafted.

People often joke that Taco Bell's entire menu is just 25 different permutations of the same 5 ingredients. Well, for Cane's, it's even more true! Even so, it feels right. This is because the menu is brief -- comprehensive, yes -- but brief.

Raising Cane's offers four combos, five if you include the kids' combo. That's literally it. No stupid promotions, no mathematical formulas, no horrible sides or dessert items they force you to add on. They are so confident in their product that they'll just give it to you straight, no strings attached. It also makes it easy for the customer. There are so few options, but each option gives its own impression of the full breadth of the menu that you don't feel like you're missing out.

The Food

I know I waited a long time to actually talk about the food, but trust me here. The food, I recognize, can be controversial. Many people say the tenders are unseasoned. The fries are underwhelming. The slaw is forgettable. The toast is shoehorned in. And without the sauce, none of it matters. And the crazy thing is: you're right.

But the full combo experience is what matters.

At every other fast food chain, I find myself not going for the combo and just getting the menu choice a la carte. This is because I lack the feeling that the combo was designed as a standalone product to be enjoyed; rather, they were designed as an excuse to sell you more food. But with Cane's, the combo is where it's at. None of the elements of the combo are the star of the show. 

It's like a sitcom where all of the family members come together to act out a hilarious scene week after week, but then one of the actors gets fired from the show for being a homophobe and then it just doesn't feel the same anymore. And then you realize, "Hey wait, none of these people are funny. Why am I watching this?" And then the show gets cancelled and literally nobody cares until the cast reunion in 10 years.

The juicy goodness of a tender without the starchy elegance of the crinkle fry.

The crisp butteriness of the Texas Toast without the swagger of the Cane's sauce.

It just... doesn't work. 

What I'm saying is this: Raising Cane's has an identity, and it leans into that identity with confidence. None of the ingredients are the star of the show. Instead they all are the star of the show together.

Kinda like this

The Caniac In All of Us

This section is not about the "Caniac in all of us" I just thought it was a funny heading.

So yeah, maybe in the long run this doesn't really matter. It's still fast food, and you still shouldn't eat it every day. And even though it tastes and feels good, it's still more expensive that it has any right to be, like all fast food nowadays it seems. 

But Raising Cane's reminds me that even in total darkness, there is a glimmer of hope. That fast food doesn't need to come with a stigma of shame, and that with a little bit of love, even a simple chicken tenders and fries place can soar above the rest. It isn't the jack of all trades, but it is the master of one. One Love, as they say.

But what do YOU think? Is Cane's really the shining star I've made it out to be? Or does it totally drop the ball? What is the cultural impact of this fast food joint, in your view? 

Catch you next time!

Jabe