Hokey gimmicks, outrageous entrees and gag-inducing marketing in the fast food industry have caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Foodies across the nation pray for a messiah to deliver them from their fate of Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos and Wendy’s Baconators. Chick-fil-A and White Castle have provided relief, but have not brought us into the promised land of simple, straight forward, delicious fast food.
Now, my friends, we are saved. An answer to our prayers has arrived in the form of a restaurant predicated upon one tenant; provide delicious chicken fingers for the world. I speak of Raising Cane’s.
Started in 1996 at Louisiana State University, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has inspired a cult-like following, resulting in 133 locations and counting. I was lucky enough to have Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers once in Lincoln. Overwhelmed by the experience, I joined in prayer with countless others that one might open in Omaha. On Jan. 31 our prayers were answered and a Raising Cane’s was opened at 72nd and Dodge. A friend and I made the pilgrimage to try it out.
The only disclaimer that needs to be made is that Raising Cane’s is very busy. Cars circle around the building constantly and the lines inside are a bit cumbersome. If you are going during a meal hour, make sure you are able to dedicate a decent chunk of time. If you don’t want to wait, try to go in between regular meal times. My friend and I arrive precisely at 1:00pm on a Saturday, the busiest time of the week. We commit ourselves to waiting in anticipation.
After a wait that seems longer than it actually is, I approach the cashier with an almost religious reverence; I know what I’m in for. Gazing at the menu, there are only four options available: The Box Combo, containing four chicken fingers, the 3 Finger Combo, aptly named for its three chicken fingers, the gargantuan Caniac Combo with six fingers, and the Sandwich Combo. All come with fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, a drink and the famous Cane’s dipping sauce and are under $ten. The only exception is the sandwich, which gives you the bread on the chicken, rather than on the side, and no coleslaw. All options are variables of the same design, creating a menu elegant in its simplicity.
I feel bold. I order the Caniac, Extra Cane’s Sauce. After receiving my food in a basket, I retrieve a root beer from the soda fountain and hastily take a seat in the nearest booth, anxious to start enjoying my meal.
The keystone of the Raising Cane’s experience is Cane’s Sauce. Cane’s Sauce is the perfect sauce in which to dip chicken fingers. Likewise, Cane’s chicken fingers are the perfect chicken fingers to dip into Cane’s sauce. They exist in a co-dependent, symbiotic relationship. The use of Cane’s sauce extends beyond chicken fingers, applicable also to the French Fries and Texas toast. With this in mind I begin to devour the food before me.
The ritual begins with the Texas toast. Toasted and buttered, dipped in Cane’s Sauce, the bread melts in one’s mouth. It wets the appetite and prepares the diner for what is to come.
Next is the centerpiece of the meal: the chicken fingers. There is nothing particularly different about Cane’s chicken fingers except quality. They are breaded perfectly, juicy but not overly greasy, and hot enough to tell that they haven’t sat underneath a heating lamp for an hour.
After finishing the six fingers I proceed to the coleslaw. While not as bombastically fantastic as the rest of the meal, it serves an important purpose; a break in the salty, greasy conflagration that is the Cane’s experience. It is a small portion, but just enough to break up the monotony and restore balance to the meal.
I finish with the fries. At this point my $0.30 investment in an extra cup of Cane’s Sauce pays off. Completely stuffed, but satisfied nonetheless, I confirm to myself that the Caniac was a good choice.
Raising Cane’s is the road to salvation for foodies in search of a simple, unencumbered fast food joint. Buy some chicken, dip it in some sauce and enjoy.
Raising Cane’s is located at 7060 Dodge Street and is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.