The only Raising Cane’s in the Seattle area opened last month on Tuesday, Feb. 17, drawing long lines and excitement. The restaurant is located at the corner of University Way and NE 45th St. in a central location of the University District.
For sophomore Anya Arnold, getting Raising Cane’s was more difficult than expected. Arnold was looking forward to trying their popular chicken fingers, but ended up leaving before she could order.
“[the line] is not that long, but it’s long enough that I didn’t want to wait in it,” Arnold said.
Most days online ordering is available through their website; however, during peak hours it is not available.
“You can’t do carryout. It was so busy that you could not order online,” Arnold said.
Sophomore Kayla Billingslea, who was born and raised outside of Seattle, shared her thoughts.
“I’ve had Cane’s my whole life,” Billingslea said. “I’ve always lived in a place where it was somewhat nearby. So I don’t have that scarcity mindset that I know people have here.”
Billingslea is concerned about how the restaurant could affect the area.
“I was really worried, because pretty much all of the businesses in the U-District are small businesses,” Billingslea said. “That was one of my favorite things about it.”
Billingslea added the new restaurant could take away customers from smaller businesses.
“Whenever it does die down, a lot of people are just gonna choose to go with what they’re familiar with rather than what they’re not familiar with,” Billingslea said.
