The Rapidly Expanding Fried Chicken Chain That's Missing From 8 US States

Fried chicken tenders have taken America by storm since strips of tenderloin were first breaded and fried in Manchester, New Hampshire in the 1970s. This popularity has prompted restaurants of all kinds to add them to menus, and some chains make the dish their specialty. Raising Cane's is one of these, and this fried chicken chain has made its way across the country since it debuted at the North Gates of Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1996. However, it's still missing from certain areas of the U.S.

As Raising Cane's has gained more loyal customers over the years, it has officially expanded to all but six states: Maine, Montana, North and South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. We say "officially" because the chain hasn't technically opened yet in Idaho or West Virginia as of this writing (though each is getting a new location soon), meaning it's technically missing from eight states.

Raising Cane's may not have been a top contender when Daily Meal ranked the best fried chicken chains by crunch and flavor (it placed No. 8 out of 12), but we do recommend the restaurant on our list of the best and worst fast food chicken tenders. In an interview with Mashed, chain founder Todd Graves said, "Our chicken fingers are the highest quality. It's breast tenderloins — it's not cut strips. It's the breast tenderloins that come underneath the chicken breast."

One of the facts about Raising Cane's that only true fans know is that founder Todd Graves came up with the concept for the fast food chain as a college project, which his professor graded poorly and said wouldn't succeed. Not to be deterred, Graves worked hard saving funds to achieve his dream of opening a restaurant that serves only chicken fingers. He started by renovating an old building on the LSU campus and didn't shy away from getting his hands dirty. Before opening what is now called the "mothership," he took a friend's suggestion to name Raising Cane's after a surprising animal — his own Labrador retriever.

Determining exactly how many Raising Cane's restaurants have opened each year since the brand's 1996 launch is no easy task. We do know, however, that in 2005, it expanded outside of Louisiana to Texas (where it currently has nearly 200 locations) and Mississippi. Its growth really took off in 2011 with the opening of its 100th location, and the chain started opening venues in the Middle East in 2015. By 2019, there were 457 Raising Cane's restaurants in the U.S. and other countries. The chain has continued to grow, finishing 2024 with 845 locations, and even more restaurants have opened throughout 2025. There are more to come, including seven in various states opening in October.

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Mashed.