Abbey Littleton
On Jan. 12, 2023, Raising Cane's hosted a grand opening of their first restaurant in Maryland, right next to Towson University’s campus. This is the only Raising Cane's in Maryland at the time of publication.
Towson residents have been excitedly waiting on this chain to open since it was initially announced a year ago. Their excitement was illustrated by the fact that there was a line of people camping outside of Raising Cane's the night before the opening.
These anxious costumers came equipped with sleeping bags to spend the night outside ensuring they would be one of the first people in line to try the chicken.
The grand opening included a visit from Towson’s mascot, “Doc the Tiger” as well as live music to celebrate. Cane's has even donated $1000 to the Towson High School Booster Club, which will go towards equipment and uniforms for students’ extracurricular activities.
Raising Cane's opened their first restaurant in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Founder Todd Graves. Graves decided to name his restaurant after his yellow lab, Raising Cane. Before he knew it, the chain had completely taken off and today there are over 600 Raising Cane's locations across the United States.
Raising Cane's relies mainly on social media to market their product. Even sponsoring many popular influencers and athletes to promote their chicken. Due to this new age of social media, word can travel way faster than it used to. So, when it was announced that Towson was going to be getting a location, residents took to social media to express their excitement furthering the hype of the restaurant.
Customers are able to choose from The Box Combo, The Caniac Combo, The 3 Finger Combo, and The Chicken Sandwich Combo. Due to their late hours, local students can grab a delicious bite after a night out. Or it makes for a fast and tasty dinner for families, as they have the option for family style chicken boxes.
Cane's can also just be a quick snack for whatever time of the day you might be craving some tenders and their signature Cane's sauce which you can buy in a 32 oz. cup of for $5.
Towson residents can’t seem to get enough of Raising Cane's as there continues to be a massive line around the block every day. The crowd grew so large the company decided to hire a security guard to work the door.
When asked why a security guard was needed for a chicken tender restaurant, the guard said, “Within the first few days of opening, a large number of mobile orders were stolen, and many (others) tried but failed. Costumers were also piling through the doors in such a disorganized fashion it was causing mayhem.”
The Towson location does not have any parking either which can make for quite a chaotic pickup. Any car who parks alongside the entrance will be issued a ticket by Towson Police as parking is not permitted. Others have opted to order online and be dropped off quickly and run in to pick up their order.
“It’s absolutely nuts. Every time I walk to class, I pass at least four people with Cane's bags,” said Towson University Student Anna H.
It has only been a little over a month since the opening, and already we are able to see the lengths people will go to get their hands on the small variety of Raising Cane’s menu options. Even after weeks passing, the hype has not seemed to die down as every morning there remains a line out the door of people anxiously awaiting their food.
You can visit the Towson Raising Cane's location during their hours of operations from 10 a.m. until 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
