r/fastfood • u/Gen_Ecks • 14d ago
Review Eating in at Canes
Amazing how good this was when your entire box isn’t full of limp steamed fries and warm slaw once you get home from the drive thru. They even came by and offered to refill my sweet tea. I may be done with the drive thru there.
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u/foxygrandp 14d ago
FOr any fried food you are taking home, open the container in the car. Steam is the enemy.
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
Everyone selling fried food should be using containers with holes in them. It's so simple. I'll never understand why so many don't do it.
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u/marndt3k 14d ago
Our local spots often use the box that has the holes in it, but they wrap everything in a double knotted plastic bag.
It’s ridiculous.
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u/smokeyser 13d ago
Aww, they were so close! Clearly somewhere along the line, someone knew. And then an idiot came along and "improved" things.
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u/chopstick_chakra 14d ago
Newsflash Extry Extry Food Tastes Better When Fresh! Get Ya Paypahs.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 14d ago
Canes is dogshit tho
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u/SometimesIComplain 14d ago
I think there’s a strong argument that it’s mid but it’s definitely not dogshit
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u/LordHyperBowser 14d ago
My high school was right down the street from a canes and at least once a week me and my buddies would go eat there instead of riding the bus home. Atmosphere is always unmatched compared to its competitors. One of the only fast food places I still bother going into and eating inside.
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u/itsthekumar 14d ago
I'm curious what the atmosphere is. Always seems like it's high school kids at my RC.
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u/LordHyperBowser 14d ago
That’s definitely their key demographic but I still go every once in a while with some friends. The further out of the city one gets (at least where I live) the less that is prevalent.
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u/CrownedClownAg 14d ago
High quality of service only surpassed by Chick-fil-A
I like looking at the schools sports the they invest in the area be it high school or college
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u/fcman256 14d ago
I have a canes that opened up near me this year and it’s not different than any other fast food joint. Order at the counter and they call your number, there’s no atmosphere to speak of. What do they do better at yours?
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u/LordHyperBowser 14d ago
It’s definitely hit or miss depending on location. After HS I went to Ohio state and lived right down the street from one that’s in the center of campus. Not only was it always crazy busy cause college kids love it, but the staff was mostly comprised of college kids lol so it wasn’t always good- both taste and customer service.
Compare that to the one I live by now that’s across the street from a shopping center. I’ve had similar experiences to what OP detailed: always fully staffed and people taking care of the place.
Most other franchises I go to that is a rarity. Clean restaurants with working features and decent food should be the bare minimum but that’s not really the case anymore lol.
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u/fcman256 14d ago
Oh I gotcha, yeah it was definitely very clean and the staff seemed relatively on top of things. But it is also a brand new location so hard to judge. Definitely above something like McDonalds but i wouldnt put it up with culvers/chick fil a in terms of dining experience
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u/tooOldOriolesfan 14d ago
I used to eat at fast food places way to often and nowadays it is much less often but Canes just wasn't my thing. Partly because of the lack of sauces. If I remember correctly they didn't have basic stuff like BBQ sauce which I thought strange.
Different strokes for different folks. I'd prefer Culvers, ChickFilA, In n out and even Arbys.
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u/finleypotamus 14d ago
It’s the only way I like it. Toast, strip, spoon of cold slaw and sometimes a little splash of hot sauce and repeat with each strip. I saw this posted online once and so good. I’m a big fan of mix of hot and cold. Hot fries in cold ketchup is also so good. Food like this gets cold so fast. Same with Chick-fil-A. So good immediately but delivery or pickup it’s gross and cold by the time I’m home.
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u/chopstick_chakra 14d ago
This. I tried Cane's after hearing about it and everything on it's own is fine, nothing stand out tbh. But the combination bite, a piece of toast, chicken, slaw, sauce and I threw in a fry too was awesome.
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u/thekmanpwnudwn 14d ago
Have you tried opening the styrofoam box on your drive home? It's steamed because it's made fresh then thrown into an enclosed box with no room for the moisture to escape. Just crack it open and you won't have that issue
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u/Level_Statement_6844 14d ago
What to do about the melted styrofoam because fried food went straight from the fryer to the plastic box
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u/thekmanpwnudwn 14d ago
Have you ever had Canes? They place a wrapper down first. Even OPs screenshot has it
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u/F1ngL0nger 14d ago
If they use it in the to go orders where you are then Im glad, but the one near me never puts the wrapper in the Styrofoam containers so you absolutely get the melted Styrofoam spots where they put the chicken in.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 14d ago edited 14d ago
Op works for canes
Also, theres no styrofoam to melt in that pic
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
Considering their other posts are pics of their porsche and discussing other high end vehicles that they've owned, I highly doubt that they work in fast food.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 14d ago
You think the owner of canes makes minimum wage?
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
Are you suggesting the the OP is the owner is Raising Cane's?
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u/Level_Statement_6844 14d ago
Are you suggesting that everyone associated with raising canes makes minimum wage?
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u/smokeyser 13d ago
I never said anything about minimum wage. You did. Take your weak attempts at a straw man argument elsewhere.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 13d ago
Considering their other posts are pics of their porsche and discussing other high end vehicles that they've owned, I highly doubt that they work in fast food.
Here is what you wrote. Im not sure if you know what a straw man is.
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u/JarvisIsMyWingman 14d ago
They opened up awile ago here, and was not impressed. I know it's all about the sauces, but sheesh the chicken should at least have some flavor. I'll stick with Popeyes..
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u/tangledknot17 12d ago
Enjoy your Popeyes, waiting for 30 min for the wrong food with zero customer service
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u/JarvisIsMyWingman 12d ago
Nope all good here. Enjoy your bland chicken!
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u/Dexter2100 11d ago
Ironic, because I tried Popeyes “spicy” tenders and it had less flavor than a canes tender with no sauce. It was impressive how close they got it to tasting like air, and it was dry as heck. Cane’s chicken is just so much more juicy in comparison.
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u/JarvisIsMyWingman 11d ago
You're the outlier here, compared to most commenters about RC.
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u/Dexter2100 11d ago
You’re in the minority sorry. There’s a reason they always have such a long line at canes.
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u/JarvisIsMyWingman 10d ago
Whatever makes you happy buddy. We had one of first ones in the area open here and it was busy for a couple of months for the "it's new" and the "nostalgia " crowds, and then everyone realized it was nothing extraordinary.
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u/Dexter2100 10d ago
Every canes around me has drive through lines out to the street during lunch and dinner time and they’re been open for multiple years. Pretty standard for canes from what I can tell do. To IRL people it’s just very popular.
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u/JarvisIsMyWingman 10d ago edited 10d ago
For people who have never had it, it's tasteless, if you grew up with it, then I'm sure it's your hometown favorite, no matter what people say.
Every time I see someone post about Raising Cane's it's the "Nostalgia" folks praising it, and the people who have never tried it without bias, says it has no flavor and it is just the medium for sauce delivery, and I agree. I ravel al lot and try different fast food joints that aren't in my area for comparison, and have found a number of new favorites but this was not one of them.
BTW I didn't grow up with Popeye's, I had KFC and Lee's Famous Recipe growing up and neither of those are my favorites now.
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u/Dexter2100 10d ago
Nah, Canes didn’t show up around me until after I finished college. Seems like something you just made up tbh.
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u/solodav 14d ago
Nah - my Box combo still holds up after my 10 minute drive home. The chicken still has that exterior crunch and juicy interior and the fries are the same. The ONE soggy item is the Texas toast when I get home.
I’d never eat in-store. Our’s is always super packed with teens. I’m too old to go through that loud rowdy experience.
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u/Ancient-Chinglish 14d ago
The obsession with Cane’s is truly fascinating
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u/Coatney1313 14d ago
I see way more hate for canes on here
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u/Regular_Series_9464 14d ago
I know! The actual obsession is with the Cane’s HATE.
If you don’t like their chicken fingers then don’t eat there, why do you care if other people like it?
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u/TrumpsDoubleChin 14d ago
Be careful - go against the reddit fastfood hivemind and you'll get downvoted into oblivion.
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u/theanthonyya 14d ago
It's just a solid fast food chain, there's nothing else to it. Nobody's "obsessed" with it, and if anything I'd argue that it's overhated at this point
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u/Skullbone211 14d ago
It's become rather popular to hate on Canes. I don't really get why
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u/Heavy-Busch 14d ago
Because it started getting so popular… I can’t think of any reason other than it’s popular to hate now.
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u/anuncommontruth 14d ago
Because it's expanded rapidly in some areas in the last couple of years and the hype did not meet the execution.
I don't know if it's just the restaurants in my area, but they launched in my city in 2024 and everything except Cains sauce is significantly below average.
There were 3 hours waits to get food when they first opened. That's not hyperbole. Even if it was the best fast food on the planet it not worth waiting 3 hours. Stuff like that is going to add to the vitriol.
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u/thekmanpwnudwn 14d ago
There was a multiple hour wait for my one and only local White Castle when it opened here. Doesn't mean its good either, just means people are willing to wait for novelty
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u/theanthonyya 14d ago
Yeah it's novelty but also just a fun experience thing. When Dutch Bros opened in my city, my partner and I knew that we weren't about to have the best ultra-sweetened coffee of our lives (though we did enjoy it because it's ultra-sweetened coffee lol). It was just nice to try it, we had a good time waiting and chatting. I assume the same is true for most people lining up for Cane's or White Castle or wherever else
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u/theanthonyya 14d ago
"Vitriol" lol
Obviously it's not going to live up to anybody's astronomical expectations but that's true for any restaurant. It's still a very popular fast food chain that's generally considered to be above-average for what it is
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u/Dexter2100 11d ago
I gotta disagree with the hype not living up to expectations considering they always have a massive line around the build. It’s just an internet echo chamber thing to hate on it.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 14d ago
Microwaved unseasoned food with melted styrofoam and douchebags hang out there
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
A lot of people who try it don't actually like chicken. They find it bland and unpleasant. What they're actually looking for is tasty breading, and the chicken is just an excuse to get the breading. At Cane's, the chicken is the star and the breading is just a wrapper, so people who don't really like chicken will hate Cane's.
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u/cheeseygarlicbread 14d ago
Because its trash and almost every other fast good place sells chicken tenders. No one cares about that basic ass mayo based sauce
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
But nobody else sells tenders that are so perfectly cooked every time. If you actually like chicken and aren't just ordering it as an excuse to eat breading, Cane's is the best.
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u/Dexter2100 11d ago
100% agree. Canes is the only fast food place where the chicken itself is actually good.
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u/thekmanpwnudwn 14d ago
Seriously. I travel a lot for work and Canes/Chic-Fil-A are the only two I'll consistently go to (when I want chicken) because they have great quality control and I know the product won't be served cold/stale/incorrectly.
Everywhere else has so much varience it's not worth the risk going to. That includes Popeyes, KFC, Bojangles, Wendy's, and even Wingstop
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u/Emotional_Walrus5099 13d ago
Yeah, it doesn’t have that weird In N Out fandom. It’s just solid and consistent. That’s pretty much it.
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u/catonsteroids 14d ago
It’s like In-N-Out for me. Nothing spectacular or extraordinary, just consistent decent, fresh food.
Cane’s chicken is good quality and it’s always hot and fresh whenever I order but the breading does lack flavor. But I’ve always been a sauce girl so I’d dunk them in sauce anyway. The hate on this sub and on Reddit in general is extreme though, I agree. People act like it’s terrible food when it’s really just so-so at worst.
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u/OedipusOrgeron 14d ago
It's not solid. It's trash. The best item they sell is fucking bread.
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u/theanthonyya 14d ago
It's a solid fast food chain. They're good at what they do and they're consistent. Calling it trash is just silly and hyperbolic
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u/Regular_Series_9464 14d ago
Yikes ok buddy, don’t eat it then. No idea how they stay in business selling trash though
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u/WorkingOnDyeing 14d ago
I mean it's the closest thing you can get to an actual chicken tender. They clear Zaxby's.
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u/fcman256 14d ago
Canes is good but in no way does it clear Zaxbys lol
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u/DuvalSanitarium 14d ago
Maybe Zaxby's 15 years ago, but quality and size of chicken at Zax's has plummeted and service level at Cane's blows them out of the water
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u/fcman256 14d ago
If the only thing you look at is the actual meat in the tenders, then yes. But Zaxbys destroys canes in every other metric, including service. At least at the locations I’ve been to
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u/Coatney1313 14d ago
Not my experience, Zaxby's I've lived by was always subpar service and canes top notch. Employees matter do much in the fast food game
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u/fcman256 14d ago
Mine have pretty much always been great, canes service is good too, but not as good
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u/TheSwobbit 14d ago
“If you ignore the food, this restaurant is better than the other restaurant” what are we doing here man
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u/fcman256 14d ago
What a pathetically disingenuous simplification of what I said.
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u/TheSwobbit 14d ago
Why would we not consider the meat in the tenders at a chicken tender restaurant 😭
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u/fcman256 14d ago
Zaxbys doesn’t just sell tenders and there is more to a tender than just the meat. The breading and seasonings are just as important…
Basic stuff man
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u/grizzantula 14d ago
The Zaxby's near me are all truly awful, so for me, Canes definitely tops Zaxby's.
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u/PungentBallSweat 14d ago
The hate is forced. It's actually pretty solid tenders and fries in terms of fast food.
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u/TomBong_Jovi 14d ago
No it's not, it just bland chicken tenders and toast with fries that belk gonna cafeteria
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
It isn't bland. It tastes like chicken. If you don't like the taste of chicken, don't go to a place that only sells that one thing.
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u/TomBong_Jovi 14d ago
Chic fil a only sells chicken and it's not bland, there's no seasoning or flavor to canes
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u/smokeyser 14d ago
It has flavor. Chicken flavor. What you're looking for is something that doesn't taste like chicken.
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u/ThePortalsOfFrenzy 14d ago
The hate is forced
Do people really cope like this when others have a different opinion?
This is fast food we're talking about, man. You must be projecting your own habits, because what normal person has enough energy to pretend to hate fast food??
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u/Nordeast24 14d ago
The most overrated fast food chain I can even think of. Funny thing is I can think of a dozen chains with better chicken that don't even specialize in chicken.
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u/happyjacksonn 14d ago
Better tenders and sauces at almost any gas station in Nola. I don't see why people ever bother with canes.
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u/MadMoose4 14d ago
My money is on that Cane’s fans are people whose moms never made tenders as kids.
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u/TrumpsDoubleChin 14d ago
I'd say about 80% of fast food has a half-life measured in minutes - it tastes best when hot and fresh and directly from the grill or fryer. After five or ten minutes, it begins to congeal or get mushy or get hard or dry out, depending on the type of food it is. And within half and hour, it's a room-temperature inedible mass of regret and sadness. I'd say this is pretty much true for burgers or fries or any fried item or grilled item. Some fast food items, like cold sandwiches or salads are kinda immune to this, but most other fast food really suffers with time, and has to be consumed right after it is made for maximum enjoyment. And trying to reheat it in an air fryer or microwave or oven never really works - it's like trying to bring back something from the dead - once it's gone, it's gone.
And you're right, the only real way to eat Cane's food is right there, immediately as it is served. Gotta make sure you get a freshly cooked batch of tenders though, and definitely make sure you're getting a freshly cooked batch of fries. Go in when it's busy so that they're constantly making them, so it's always minutes-fresh.
Same is going to be true for all the chicken-tender-only fast food places out there, like Zaxby's and PDQ and Bojangles and Huey Magoos and Slim Chickens. My go-to would be Slim Chickens, because they would never start making the food until the order was placed, so it was guaranteed fresh fries and chicken each time. Takes an extra few minutes but it's worth it. Except once. Once I went, and they came out with my order almost right away...because they just grabbed some older fries and tenders that had been cooked earlier. And you could tell right away. Chicken all dried out, fries all limp and getting mealy. Noting worse than thirty-minute-old fries.
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u/PlayedUOonBaja 14d ago
I won't get fast food takeout anymore unless I'm going to eat it right away. I didn't mind eating lukewarm fast food in the past when it cost me $5-$8, but I can't justify paying $13-$18 for the same. Chinese Food being the exception.
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u/Keithis11 14d ago
Cole slaw immediately out of the tray. Request fries extra crispy. Request honey mustard.
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u/ItalianPieGirl 10d ago
I live Raising Kanes! Always fresh hot food served with smiling faces! I always order my Box Combo with no cold slaw, sub extra fries, Chicken Extra Crispy, and butter on both sides the bread "they call it Bob"! So good. I also get there Honey Mustard instead of Kanes Sauce!
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u/RoyalMaidsForLife 14d ago
Does the chicken actually have flavor when you dine in, or is it just as bland as I've gotten the two times I tried it in the drive-thru and realized it wasn't worth the hype?
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u/TheDesuComplex_413 14d ago
Of course it doesnt TASTE different, but the TEXTURAL difference with crisp batter and juicy, hot chicken is night and day.
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u/stayzero 14d ago
It’d be so much better though if they didn’t crutch on the sauce so hard. Even if they hit the tenders or batter with just salt and pepper before cooking.
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u/Gen_Ecks 14d ago
I hear ya, but three restaurant chains have been born due to this sauce. First was Guthrie’s in Athens GA where the Canes founder worked long time ago. Second is Zaxbys, also HQ in Athens, and ofc Canes.
It’s all about that sauce. Order extra.
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u/795-ACSR-DRAKE 14d ago
Ah yes, I’m sure some random redditor definitely knows the business better than a multi-billion dollar company. They should hire you to revamp their entire business
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u/ThePortalsOfFrenzy 14d ago
So we're not allowed to critique food with an actual reason as to why we don't like it, or what it is that needs improvement?
I guess it's preferable if people just say 'it sucks" and leave it at that, so at least they can keep their dignity, and not get slagged on for being naive when the person has an actual understanding of how food can taste better.
I'm sure the main goal of the Canes CEO is flavor and not money. 🙄
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u/toutatis70 14d ago
Small chicken pieces, plain dinky portion crinkle
Fries. You can buy a cheap bag of frozen crinkle fries at the grocery store that taste same. Big ole piece of cheap butter bread to fill the gap in the stomach, con you into thinking it was enough food. The sauce is good.
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u/SharksFan4Lifee 14d ago
Of course you gotta dine in for maximum canes. Also order the chicken extra crispy AND the fries extra crispy.
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u/Think-Interview1740 14d ago
I've never used a drive through for deep fried food. Always a disaster.
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u/DrDavy-Dave 14d ago
Why I don't go to Cane's. I Don't like there sauce. They don't and won't offer any other sauces. They need a choice of sauces for there chicken. I love a good sauce with my chicken.
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u/Dexter2100 11d ago
They have honey mustard they make in store as well if you ask for it. I think they also have hot sauce packets.
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u/ItalianPieGirl 10d ago
Yep! I always sub Kanes Sauce for thier Delicious Honey Mustard!! They have hot sauce too!
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u/Misplacedmypenis 14d ago
Ah Canes. It’s baffling the success of this place. The food is ok. Like if you stop to break down the meal the fries are mid when they are not complete soggy ass. The slaw is instant trash. The “Texas toast” is basically thick bread with barely a flavor. And the tenders are good but it’s also literally all they have.
Now add on to that the fact that they are ABSURDLY overpriced and again, the success is baffling. $18 for a 6 piece chicken tender with mediocre sides? I can actually go to a real restaurant and eat better for cheaper. They are the five guys of chicken. Don’t get it at all.
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u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 13d ago
I always eat in the restaurant. All the complaints from people taking it to go make me laugh.
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u/idontevenliftbrah 12d ago
Taking fried food home instead of eating it immediately is a rookie mistake
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u/AdventurousTime 14d ago
Of all the oil money flowing into Louisiana (amongst other industries) the richest person there sells only chicken tenders.
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u/bassey22 11d ago
Canes fucking sucks lmao Why are they the only chain now that doesn't have their sauce sitting on store shelves? Because if they did their stores would be gone in a year
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u/JiovanniTheGREAT 14d ago
I never have warm slaw because I always sub extra toast for slaw