Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers appears to be working on a location in Kalamazoo on the corner of Milham Avenue and Westnedge Avenue. The proposal begins a rezoning request, including demolishing two homes the developer owns at the future restaurant site. The proposal is currently waiting on the Portage City Council’s voting.
No final decisions will be made by the council until after February 6, though residents have expressed their concerns, stating that a Raising Cane’s restaurant would “destroy the [neighborhood’s] historical integrity.” The proposed restaurant will also take up the commercial spaces currently occupied by Little Ceasar’s Pizza and Betty Bella Braids.
The Louisiana chicken finger fast-casual chain opened its first Michigan location in East Lansing in 2022. In addition to Kalamazoo, Raising Cane’s also shared on social media that it’s working on a location in Ann Arbor, which is anticipated in 2025. Currently, there are more than 700 Raising Cane’s restaurants across the US.
The brand stopped offering franchising opportunities in 2021, although it maintained all existing franchise partners. The company website indicates that the brand is “focused on the rapid development of company-affiliated restaurants in a very specific geography.” Both upcoming Michigan locations will be corporate-owned.
