Raising Cane's to Open in Bay Area
Fast-food chain Raising Cane's is planning to open a new restaurant at an unspecified but iconic Bay Area location that is currently undergoing revitalization. The move is part of the ongoing development and addition of new commercial tenants to the area.
- The "iconic Bay Area location" is Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, which is currently part of a broader revitalization effort. A second San Francisco location is also planned for the Stonestown Galleria, taking over a space previously occupied by a McDonald's for 30 years. - The Fisherman's Wharf restaurant is tentatively scheduled to open in the summer of 2026 and will be located at 211 Jefferson Street, near Pier 39 and a popular In-N-Out location. - This expansion is part of a larger push into the Bay Area, with locations recently opened or planned in Oakland, Hayward, Colma, Vacaville, Fairfield, and San Jose. The company also purchased a building in Berkeley for $12.7 million for a future restaurant. - The chain, founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996, now has over 940 locations in the U.S. as of January 2026. California has the second-most locations after Texas. - The company's founder, Todd Graves, initially received the lowest grade in a college business class for his chicken-finger-only restaurant concept. He later worked as a boilermaker and a commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska to save money to open the first location. - The restaurant's menu is intentionally simple, focusing almost exclusively on chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw, and a signature "Cane's Sauce." - The name "Raising Cane's" was suggested by a friend and is named after founder Todd Graves' yellow Labrador retriever, who was also named "Cane". The original name was going to be "Sockeye's Chicken Fingers".
