The first of several Raising Cane’s Chicken Finger restaurants for New Jersey opens tomorrow (Wed January 17th) in Burlington Township. I stopped in today for a preview look, and of course share the images and experience with 42Freeway readers!
I’ll also give you the rundown on all of Wednesday morning’s Grand Opening events, as well as updates on other South Jersey locations.
If you are unfamiliar, Raising Cane’s is a Chicken Finger quick-casual restaurant with a fanatical following in other parts of the country, and they are moving into the Philadelphia Metro area.
They also offer a variety of delicious sides including crispy french fries, coleslaw and Texas toast… But Raising Cane’s mostly sticks with a restaurant model of “focus on just a few things, and do them perfectly”
The Burlington Township location which opens tomorrow is located at 2329 Mt. Holly Road (Route 541). Many will remember the extended property as being home to the former Burlington Center Mall.
Route 541 is easily accessible from both Routes 295 and Exit 5 of the New Jersey Turnpike.
It’s a great location for their first restaurant as its centered perfectly between Burlington Township, Willingboro, Westampton, Mount Holly and other towns.
Also under construction in South Jersey are locations in Marlton, Cherry Hill and Deptford. Also, moving through the approval and pre-construction process are locations in Glassboro and Washington Township. Recently I wrote that there seems to be plans for a location a Raising Cane’s in Lawnside, and I know of at least one other South Jersey town that that is targeted for a “raising canes “Cane’s”… which I haven’t written about yet.
The latest South Jersey Locations General opening dates:
- Burlington – January 17th
- Marlton – February (Mid… 13th?)
- Cherry Hill – March
- Deptford – April
- Washington Twp – Approved. Dates not set
- Glassboro – Approved. Dates not set
- Lawnside – Planned. Not Approved Yet
I have been following the progress of all of the Raising Cane’s locations since the very first announcement… and realizing that the restaurant is new to South Jersey I’ve even visited two Philadelphia locations, which were already open… so that I could share the experience with 42Freeway readers!
Today I was invited to attend a “friends and family” preview event in Burlington, on the day before the opening.
During my visit I got to meet many of the local employees as well as several regional team members… and it was genuinely nice to see that all of the regional folks were familiar with the 42Freeway site and had read all of my coverage on the restaurant entering the South Jersey marketplace… and they were still smiling as they talked to me about it! 🙂
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers – Burlington Twp Grand Opening
The Burlington Township location Grand Opening is set for early Wednesday morning,
The restaurant’s standard operating hours start at 9:00 AM. For the Grand Opening on Wednesday January 17th they list several celebration activities which are taking place even earlier, including the 8:30 AM ribbon cutting ceremony. The following bullets are directly from the Raising Cane’s marketing team:
● A “Lucky 20” drawing to award 20 Customers (age 13 and older) Free Cane’s for a Year! Entries will be accepted from 7 to 8 a.m. with the winners announced by 8:45 a.m. Customers must be present to win.
● The first 100 dine-in Customers to purchase a Box Combo will receive a commemorative beanie and a Free Box Combo on their return visit.
● A ribbon-cutting will take place at 8:30 a.m., featuring Burlington Township Mayor Pete Green and representatives from the Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers – Burlington Twp
One thing I’ve realized with Raising Cane is while they can change up the store design for different locations, there is a consistent style and set of features which carry through them all.
The “One Love” theme is consistent across all locations, as is the large “bursting through the wall” Raising Cane’s logo graphic.
A fun and interesting idea is they put 3 mirrored balls in every location, which just gives the dining area a fun party effect throughout the space.
Mix in a variety of seating including high top tables, traditional tables and booths… it makes for an interesting and fun dining experience!
The Burlington Twp restaurant offers a large outdoor covered patio area. One upper section of the glass outer windows (above the booths) was developed with a windowed garage door, so it appears they can open the space up to the outside in the warmer weather.
The interior store design and size is very similar to what I visited in Philadelphia near the airport, but the PA location has an outer patio which can be closed off from the elements by wraparound garage door style walls.
I’ve been told the Burlington Township store is a similar model as what is coming to Cherry Hill and Marlton. Deptford has a large property to work with and because of that they are getting a different model.. but I am unaware of the differences.
Another signature aspect of the Raising Cane’s stores is they incorporate the local community into the wall decorations, including old yearbooks from area schools and photos from the local community.
Hanging high on one of the Raising Cane’s walls you may notice a sign from the Burlington Coat Factory, which is one of the township’s larger employers. I’ve heard that the unofficial Raising Cane’s project name for this new Route 541 location was called internally “Burlington Cane’s Factory”!
The different design elements, seating and wall hangings make it in fun and interesting store design!
Raising Canes – The Food
If you aren’t familiar, Raising Cane’s is a chicken finger restaurant with a cult-like following in other parts of the country. They are to chicken fingers, what In-And-Out is to burgers!
The chicken fingers are fully made within the restaurant, battered with a light seasoning and cooked to a tender perfection.
I’ve commented before that they only offer one dipping sauce at Raising Cane’s but I’ve been told a little secret… If you ask for it, they also have a hot sauce… which was recommended to me that if you add it into the Cane’s Sauce it’s a whole new tasty spicy experience.
Texas Toast is actually also one of their top items… and another behind the scenes trick is you can ask for it “Bob” style, which means they will butter both sides of the toast!
French fries are delicious and crispy! And the coleslaw is one of my favorites honestly.
Plus you can also order your chicken fingers “naked” and they will be cooked without the breading!
When you go to Raising Cane’s for the first time and you don’t know what to order, just get “the box” as it includes all of those items!
It sounds like a lot of food…. It is a lot of food… But I have no problems crushing it!
Links and Locations
Raising Cane’s Burlington Twp – Opening Wed Jan 17th
2329 Burlington – Mount Holly Road
Burlington, NJ 08016