When you think of the best fast food restaurant for chicken do you think of Chick-Fil-A or Raising Cane’s? Both franchises are very popular and get a great deal of attention on social media. While Chick-Fil-A is the larger and more successful chain when we look at statistics, Cane’s has shown a lot of recent growth and is building its fan base.
According to The Food Institute, Chick-Fil-A “consistently outperforms” Cane’s with Chick-fil-A averaging around $6.7 million per store while Raising Cane’s averaged $5.4 million. To add to that, Chick-fil-A has been around since 1946, standing the test of time, and Raising Canes has been around since just 1996 but gaining fans rapidly. In 2022, Chick-Fil-A had 2, 837 stores across the U.S. while Cane’s had just 646. In total, that left Chick-Fil-A with $18.8 billion in sales compared to Cane’s $3.1 billion. But it is worth mentioning that Cane’s total sales were only $1.5 billion 2 years before. They are growing quickly. But do they have what it takes to compete with the fast food chicken giant?
One big difference between the two places is that Cane’s does not have as many menu items as Chick-fil-A. Cane’s specializes in chicken tenders and has just three sides that pair with them–fries, coleslaw, and garlic bread. But Chick-fil-A has a variety of menu items: not just fries but also salads, chicken tortilla soup, berry parfait, kale crunch, mac and cheese, chicken noodle soup, and fruit cups.
The one menu item that has people most drawn to Chick-fil-A is the mac and cheese. Topped with a crispy layer of three different kinds of cheeses, the mac and cheese is a popular item among the 8th Graders. Gia Worsdall said her favorite thing to order from Chick-fil-A is the mac and cheese.
When it comes to chicken, Chick-Fil-A also offers more options. They have both grilled and breaded sandwiches as well as grilled or breaded nuggets in addition to wraps. While Cane’s only offers chicken tenders–with or without a sandwich bun–many students interviewed like Cane’s chicken better. They like its crunchy exterior over Chick-Fil-As more tender coating. Some even called Chick-fil-A’s chicken mushy. In addition, many preferred Cane’s salty chicken over Chick-fil-A’s sweeter recipe.
One side both Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A have are fries. Chick-fil-A has waffle fries while Raising Cane’s has crinkle-cut fries. Ryan Koballa said that he likes Chick-fil-A fries better than Cane’s.
Both restaurants have a signature sauce that you could dip almost anything in. For many, this is where Cane’s wins. According to some of the 8th grade students, the sauce at Cane’s is better than the one at Chick-fil-A. Sofia Lucarelli an 8th grade student said that she likes Cane’s better because of the sauce. She enjoys the three-finger combo the best. That is also a popular opinion according to a lot of the 8th graders. Joe Huth, Dino Trinetti, and Maddie Grano also agree that they like Cane’s better because of the sauce.
Now let’s talk customer service. Chick-fil-A usually has better customer service. Every time someone says thank you they say “my pleasure,” which is required to say. Cane’s is not as known as Chick-Fil-A for customer service but they still excel in it. When you pull into the drive through they say “What’s poppin? Thanks for stoppin!” which is a nice and friendly way to greet their customers. So both franchises excel in customer service.
Although this next feature is not popular amongst 8th graders, it is very popular for moms with young children: the Chick-fil-A playground. This feature makes Chick-fil-A definite lunch spot for young kids. However, Cane’s does have a kids meal, but Chick-fil-A’s playground as well as kid coloring sheets and featured toys (not to mention the cow mascots) draws a bigger “kid” crowd.
What goes better with a lunch and a playground? Dessert of course. According to student Antea, she likes Chick-fil-A better because of the milk shake options. While they offer four flavors, her favorite is the cookies and cream milk shake. They also seasonally offer frozen lemonade.
We can’t forget the most important meal of the day, breakfast. Mrs. Saunders, 8th grade teacher on team Hele, said that Chick-fil-A chicken minis they serve during breakfast are her favorite. They also have bacon egg and cheese biscuits, full-size chicken biscuits, hashbrowns, and iced coffee. Although Raising Cane’s also serves breakfast, they do not serve it at our Mayfield Hts. branch.
Many people would also put up a fight that Cane’s is better because they can get Cane’s on Sundays. Since Chick-fil-A opened in 1946, they have never been open on Sundays.
There you have it. It’s a toss up. Chick-fil-A wins for menu variety and fries, but Cane’s actually wins for its chicken and sauce. You judge for yourself.
