Raising Cane's to Open First Bay Area Location
Fast-food chain Raising Cane's, known for its chicken fingers, is set to open its first location in the Bay Area. The restaurant will be a flagship store located at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, occupying a large space on Jefferson Street near Pier 39.
- The Fisherman's Wharf location is part of a broader, aggressive expansion into the Bay Area, which includes recently opened restaurants in Colma, Oakland, and Hayward, as well as planned locations for the Stonestown Galleria and Berkeley. - The company is on a significant growth trajectory, having surpassed 940 locations in the U.S. by early 2026, with California being a key market with 129 stores. The chain's goal is to operate over 1,600 restaurants nationwide and become a top 10 U.S. restaurant brand by the end of the decade. - Financially, Raising Cane's demonstrates high performance, with average unit volumes (AUVs) reaching $6.2 million on a trailing-12-months basis as of mid-2024, a figure that is 2.3 times the quick-service restaurant average. For the full year 2024, sales per store climbed to $6.6 million, with total system-wide sales hitting $5.1 billion. - The new flagship restaurant is part of a larger revitalization effort in Fisherman's Wharf, which is working to fill vacancies left by legacy establishments. Several other national and local brands, including a Taco Bell Cantina and Everett & Jones BBQ, are also part of this push to refresh the area. - Founder Todd Graves started the company in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after his business plan for a chicken-finger-only restaurant received the lowest grade in his college class. He worked as a boilermaker and a commercial fisherman in Alaska to raise the initial capital himself. - The company's focused menu, often referred to as "One Love," consists of chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, and a signature Cane's Sauce. This simplicity is a core part of the business strategy, aimed at ensuring quality and operational efficiency. - This expansion comes as the fast-food chicken segment continues to grow, with U.S. chicken QSRs seeing nearly 9% growth in 2024, significantly outpacing the growth of burger chains. - The Fisherman's Wharf location will be near a high-traffic In-N-Out Burger, placing two popular, cult-favorite fast-food chains in close proximity within a major tourist hub.
