Spokane’s first Raising Cane’s opens: Will a chicken war begin?

The smell of fried chicken filled the air outside of Spokane’s first Raising Cane’s on Tuesday morning as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the chain restaurant’s opening day.

Across the road is Chick-fil-A. Nearby is Houston Hot Chicken, and Wingstop. And KFC. And Dave’s Hot Chicken.

Is North Division Street big enough for this new cluster of fast-food fried chicken and crave- inducing sauces?

“We’re always looking for vibrant communities,” divisional leader of Raising Cane’s Jason Zwerin said. “This was just a perfect fit for us.”

Each chicken spot in Spokane offers a little different fare. Houston Hot and Dave’s Hot Chicken are known for spicy offerings. Cane’s sticks with chicken strips with no spice but a sauce that has earned fervent fans called “caniacs.”

Brendan McCornack, executive director of Spokane’s Chick-fil-A, said his chicken joint saw an increase in traffic, sales and visits Tuesday morning. His hypothesis is that when folks got hungry waiting for the new Raising Cane’s line to get reasonable, they headed across the street for breakfast.

Of course, Chick-fil-A has been aware and ready for Cane’s to open across the street, creating a chicken corridor for customers. McCornack said he isn’t worried about the rivalry .

“There’s healthy competition. We obviously serve a similar product, but at the end of the day, we believe that genuine hospitality, quality product and speed of service is what’s going to win the hearts of our customers,” McCornack said.

Over 300 people were standing in line for a Cane’s chicken meal when the restaurant opened at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

“We have some of the most dedicated, loyal customers,” Zwerin said. “The local community here has been excited to have Cane’s in their hometown.”

Among them was Walé Bellinger, who was the first customer in line, showing up around 6:30 p.m. on Monday. He camped out in front of the restaurant in a rocking lawn chair, but said he didn’t sleep a wink.

Bellinger moved to Spokane from Texas four years ago, and he said he’s missed Raising Cane’s every day.

“I’ve been waiting four or five years for Cane’s to come here,” Bellinger said.

Most of the restaurant’s allure comes from nostalgia, Bellinger said. Growing up, he and his family were regulars at their hometown Cane’s. He particularly likes the sweet tea and chicken sauce. And it stays open late into the night for midnight munchers. Cane’s is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Dedication and love for Cane’s comes from doing the few things they offer really well, Zwerin said.

“We just do this. We just do chicken finger meals,” Zwerin said. “Our chicken is marinated 24 hours with hand batter, made to order, and everything that we serve – french fries, buttery toast, even our signature sauce – is all homemade.”

On Tuesday around lunch time, 18-year-old Sydney Mackie, her brother Sawyer and their friend Colin Pfening skipped the line at Raising Cane’s and came to Houston Hot Chicken instead.

“I like the spice here,” Sydney said.

“And the loaded fries,” Sawyer added.

The trio goes to all the chicken spots in town, particularly off of the highway. Sydney referred to the area as the “Chicken Strip” since Houston Hot, Chick-fil-A and Cane’s are all next to each other.

Pfening said all of the chicken spots are different enough that he’ll keep going to each of them: Cane’s for chicken strips, Chick-fil-A for salads or sandwiches and Houston’s for hot chicken.

Houston’s always uses organic chicken that ships to each store every few days, general manager Josh Chenoweth said. So far, traffic in the restaurant has been pretty consistent, he added. Time will tell if they feel an impact from Cane’s opening down the road.

Dave’s Hot Chicken was a popping location when it first opened, general manager John Winfrey said.

“People were lining the block,” Winfrey said. “When the excitement dies down, it levels out. We were prepared for that excitement people would have for Cane’s.”

The excitement for Dave’s lasted around a month, Winfrey said, so it’s possible Cane’s will have long lines for a while. But Dave’s will always be the sole spot for “Nashville hot chicken,” Winfrey said.

Cane’s is unique because every location is slightly tailored to the community it’s in, Zwerin said.

“It’s got a very local vibe. We’ve got our local community graphics and kind of speak to the community that we’re in. We want this restaurant to be their restaurant, their Cane’s,” Zwerin said.

On one of the restaurant walls is a customized homage to famous Spokane natives, featuring photos of Warner Brothers animator Chuck Jones, rock guitarist George Lynch and actress Sydney Sweeney.

Cane’s will be a good spot for locals to visit on Sundays, when Chick-fil-A isn’t open, Zwerin said.

“Every day is a chicken day,” Jessica Folsom said.

Folsom came with Madeleine Folsom, her 16-year-old daughter who attends Mead High School but had a late start Tuesday morning.

“I love chicken strips, I love their sauce and they have Dr Pepper. That’s always a ‘yes,’ ” Madeleine said.

“Whenever we go anywhere, Madeleine always asks if there’s a Cane’s nearby,” Jessica said, laughing. “She even got Cane’s in Hawaii.”

Dawn Harmsen and her mom, Judy Becker, were 264 and 263 in line at Raising Cane’s. Harmsen took Becker to the opening so she could try Cane’s for the first time.

“We mostly came for the fun of it,” Harmsen said. “I remember it being really good chicken, and everyone gets so excited every time there’s something new like this. It’s like a little party.”

After eating lunch at Cane’s, the pair went to Chick-fil-A for some dessert.

Becker said she’ll probably stick to the chicken salads at Chick-fil-A and when they go out together, Harmsen can head across the street to Cane’s if she wants.

To make the celebration more local, the Gonzaga men’s and some women’s basketball players were at the opening, along with Gonzaga cheerleaders and their mascot, Zwerin said.

The first 100 customers got a Cane’s baseball cap with their meal, and anyone who arrived between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. was entered into a drawing to win free Cane’s for a year. The drawing had 20 winners, Zwerin said.

Another Cane’s location will open in Seattle early next year, Zwerin said. The Spokane Cane’s location has 165 crew members, Zwerin said.

Around 100 employees worked throughout the day on Tuesday.