MANCHESTER, NH – Construction is slated to begin next week on the Raising Cane’s chicken restaurant at 782 South Willow St., with opening planned for early next year.
The Manchester location is the first in New Hampshire for the Louisiana-based fast food restaurant, known for its chicken fingers.
The company has also finalized a deal for a Concord location, according to a spokesperson. The chain has more than 750 locations in 38 states and several countries. There are six Raising Cane’s in New England – in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The company has plans “moving through the process” to open 12 more in the six-state region, including the two in New Hampshire, the spokesperson told Ink Link.
Construction is set to begin on May 13 at the South Willow Street site that most recently housed CJ’s Great West Grill. The new building will be 3,366 square feet, with two drive-through lanes and outdoor dining. The previous building, home to several restaurants since it was constructed in 1950, was torn down last month.
The company was before the Zoning Board of Adjustment in September for a variance that would allow construction on the oddly shaped lot. The new building will be set back from South Willow Street farther than the old one, and the new site plan allows room for the two drive-throughs. The building will also be modern and efficient, company representatives said.
Raising Cane’s is expected to open on South Willow Street in the first quarter of 2025. The company is already advertising online for workers, including a manager. Construction will begin at the Concord location in summer 2025 for a mid-2026 opening, the spokesperson said. The address of the Concord location wasn’t available.
The company plans to open 90 new restaurants in 2024, and will have 850 locations by the end of the year, according to QSR magazine, which covers the restaurant industry. Raising Cane’s has 350 restaurants in the pipeline, according QSR. Most of the restaurants are owned by the company, though there are some franchise owners.
Raising Cane’s has a limited menu, focused on chicken tenders. It’s the newest contender in the Manchester’s competitive chicken tender market. The city was crowned Chicken Tender Capital of the World in July.
Raising Cane’s is named after owner Todd Graves’ dog, a yellow lab. The first Raising Cane died in 1998, two years after Graves opened the first Raising Cane’s, in Baton Route, Louisiana. Graves has continued to be the fur dad of yellow Labs named Raising Cane. The company is committed to supporting local pet welfare causes, a spokesman told the Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment in November. Its Plush Puppies Program helps raise money for local shelters and other causes.
CJ’s announced its closing in September. It had been at the site since 1995. The restaurant is part of Great NH Restaurants Inc. Owner Tom Boucher said in September that the property owner presented them with an unexpected offer to terminate their lease because it had received the offer from Raising Cane’s.