Raising Cane’s Plans April Opening for State College Location

Raising Cane’s restaurant expects to open its first State College location in April, a representative for the chicken finger franchise said this weekend.

The Louisiana-based company declined on Sunday to provide a specific opening date for the 228 E. College Ave. location, noting that “other factors,” including possible changes in construction schedules, could affect the restaurant’s development.

Back in October, a new sign in the storefront’s window said Raising Cane’s was hiring for its State College location. Currently, Raising Cane’s has open job listings for operations managers and shift managers available online.

When it originally revealed plans for a State College location in May 2021, Raising Cane’s needed to clear a few zoning ordinances to meet modern requirements in the 105-year-old building. Among them included installing an outdoor ramp to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Raising Cane’s did not offer a comment on Sunday about renovations within its State College location. According to its initial application for a building permit filed in May, Raising Cane’s needed to perform an estimated $1.6 million in renovations to the building’s first story.

The State College restaurant would be Raising Cane’s first in Pennsylvania.

“We have locations outside of college campuses, but State College was an attractive location for us as we expanded on the East Coast because of this location’s proximity to the Penn State campus,” Adam Caracci, East Coast property development manager, said during a State College Zoning Hearing Board meeting last year.

Founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, near the LSU campus, Raising Cane’s has amassed more than 500 locations across the country. The franchise’s famously limited menu features chicken fingers chicken fingers and tangy Cane’s Sauce, crinkle-cut fries, cole slaw, Texas toast and drinks.