BUSINESS

Colerain, Mason among Raising Cane's possibilities

Amy Scalf, and Bowdeya Tweh
Cincinnati
The quick service casual restaurant Raising Cane’s has a limited menu but its chicken fingers are its signature menu item.

A Raising Cane's restaurant franchisee opened the chain's first Greater Cincinnati location three weeks ago, but it expects to have three restaurants operating by year's end.

Elizabeth Dennis, chief people officer for RCO Limited, a Columbus-based franchise group that has 14 locations around Columbus and one in West Chester Township, said her company is continuing to develop restaurants in Florence and Springdale.

A Springdale location is under construction is expected to open in late July or early August. The 705 Kemper Commons Circle site was home to Don Pablo's before the restaurant closed and the building was demolished.

The 8020 Burlington Pike location in Florence is near the Burlington Pike exit from Interstates 71/75. The site, which had been home to a Chevron gas station, is expected to open in early October.

Other local locations under consideration include near the University of Cincinnati's campus, Mason, Colerain Township and in the Eastgate area. Dennis said the region could have between eight and 13 Raising Cane's restaurants, but no timeline was provided to acquire the property and build out the sites.

"Cincinnati is a chicken kind of town," Dennis said. "We know that customers in Cincinnati enjoy eating out, and chicken when they do. We knew there was a good match for an offering standpoint."

The Raising Cane's chain started in Louisiana in 1996 and it has grown through a regional franchise model. Restaurants feature only five menu items – chicken fingers, fries, Texas toast, cole slaw, and drinks. The restaurant also features its signature Cane's sauce.

Raising Cane's has more than 215 restaurants in 18 states.

Raising Cane’s could open between eight and 13 restaurants in Greater Cincinnati, a spokeswoman from the restaurant’s regional franchise group said this week.

It has been about four years since RCO began to consider opening a Raising Cane's in Cincinnati, Dennis said. She said Cincinnati was a top expansion choice because of data reflecting dining habits and monitoring requests for expansion on social media.

The Florence location will be RCO's southernmost restaurant, as another franchise operator has locations in the Louisville and Lexington areas.

"In Kentucky, if we can find the right spot, we're definitely open," she said. "We chose Florence because it matched the profile of areas we focus on. We look for communities that have nice school districts, that are accessible and well-traveled. We look for locations where it's easy to see our signs, and we look for good visibility so customers can find us."

Dennis said the time line for construction and the future restaurant's specifications have not yet been determined, because the company is "working through channels" to make the site more accessible.

"We love the area," she said. "This site is kind of up on its own little hill, so what we're trying to work on is additional access for good flow in and out of the site."

Dennis expects the new location to add about 50 jobs, and she said the Florence community can play a part in how it is decorated.

"We always make sure to do research about the community so we can include images and graphics inside the restaurant that tie to the community," she said.

Anyone with ideas or photos to share can contact Dennis at edennis@rcolimited.com or 614-586-4348, ext. 6.

Dennis said RCO is focused on opening the Springdale location to help ease crowds at the West Chester restaurant.

"We're thrilled that people have been so welcoming. Our teams and crews are starting to get pretty fatigued," Dennis said. "We're trying to make sure we open the Springdale location as efficiently and quickly as we possibly can to give customers another location to visit."