UK high streets are awash with newly-opened international fast food outlets. The ever-growing list is about to get bigger with one of the US’s absolute favourites, and it’s set to offer stiff competition in the thriving market.
McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King et al are thoroughly part of the furniture, and they’ve recently been joined by the likes of Dave’s Hot Chicken, Popeye’s, Chick-fil-A, and Wing Stop among others.
There’s a bit of a theme there: the UK is clearly a big fried chicken market.
With so many independent chicken shops, brands like Morley’s, and the profile of such establishments being raised by Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Dates, it doesn’t take much thought to understand why so many chicken brands want to set up shop on British soil.
The latest fried chicken import is none other than Raising Cane’s, a brand that counts the likes of Snoop Dogg, Travis Kelce, Halle Berry, and Cynthia Erevo among its swelling list of fans.
Unfortunately we’re not here to tell you it’s all set up and ready to go; you’ll have to wait until the end of 2026 to get your hands on this much-loved chicken.
Raising Cane’s will open its first UK location at 21-22 Coventry Street, London. The Soho location, sitting between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, is a popular base for such brands to gain a foothold.
There’s tonnes of tourist traffic there, of course, along with a cohort of American visitors who will pack the place to the rafters while we natives give it a curious sniff and wonder what all the fuss is about.
It’s unlikely that Raising Cane’s will stop there in the UK, not least because it’s got some pretty big plans for the rest of Europe.
Other London locations being mooted include Oxford Circus, Paddington, The Strand and South Bank, with drive-thrus likely to feature on roadsides over the next few years too.
So, what’s on the menu?
The grub is centred on five main items, which are as follows: Crispy Chicken Fingers, Craveable Cane’s Sauce, Buttery Cane’s Toast, Crunchy Coleslaw and Crispy Crinkle-Cut Fries.
You’ll never been short on dip, either, as Raising Cane’s dishes out entire cups of sauces rather than the sometimes-lacking pots you can expect at other fast food joints. It sets US customers back by about $7 (£5.21), but UK prices have yet to be revealed.
One of the things that has helped the chain go viral is the fact that you can get an entire cup of sauce, instead of just a small dipping pot. In the US, this costs around $7 and customers go wild for it.
A social media buzz is already well underway, with TikToker @matthewhaywoodx claiming Raising Cane’s offers ‘the best chicken [he’d] ever had’.
Fellow TikToker @daisygoord said her New York visit was worth full marks, noting that the chicken was ‘so crispy and not greasy’.
There’s decent heritage in the brand too, with its first store having opened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996. If there’s one place that gets fried chicken, it’s Louisiana (don’t tell Kentucky!).
Europe has been slow on the uptake, with 950 outlets already dotted across the US and Middle East.
Todd Graves, CEO at Raising Cane’s, said of the European expansion: “I’m thrilled to finally be opening in the UK late next year.
“We receive more requests to come to the UK than anywhere else in the world, so I started looking at real estate with the team a few years ago and began identifying top locations to open Raising Cane’s across London and the UK.
“It has always been a dream of mine to bring Cane’s to the UK and I’m excited to officially kick off this growth with the opening of our UK flagship. London is one of my favourite places and I’ve always enjoyed visiting with my family.”
Featured Image Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty ImagesTopics: Fast Food, News, UK Food, Social Media, TikTok
Rachael Davis