If you have ever been on a college campus, there is a good chance you have seen a Raising Cane’s restaurant. With so many college students, there is a unique atmosphere that goes along with eating at Cane’s. When I visited the Raising Canes’ Chicken at the University of Minnesota, I experienced fun music which gave off a youth-friendly vibe. The students there gave it a college life feel, and it is a perfect spot for high school-aged kids looking for fun.

Their limited menu consists of fried chicken entrees exclusively, which makes it easy to choose a meal. For most, it just comes down to deciding how many chicken pieces they want. I ordered the box combo, which contained four pieces of chicken, fries,  a slice of Texas toast, coleslaw, Cane’s sauce, and a drink. However, I substituted the coleslaw for another piece of Texas toast.

The service at Cane’s was surprisingly fast. Even with the restaurant packed, employees got orders out in less than five minutes. One employee even came around and asked how my food was,—a rare occurrence at most fast-food restaurants.

When I first received my food, it smelled like quality fried chicken, grease, and spices. The chicken was crispy and breaded on top, but unfortunately, the bottom of some pieces got slightly soggy. However, the chicken was still delicious. The first couple of pieces were piping hot and obviously recently fried. My hands had lots of grease on them after which is a good sign for fried chicken, but probably not the most healthy. The sauce made the chicken strips even better by adding a new flavor to the chicken. The special Cane’s sauce had a taste that I had never experienced before. I have trouble identifying the specific zest of the sauce because it seemed to be multiple sauces mixed together. 

The Texas toast was delicious, slightly charred and buttery, but I felt pretty full after having both pieces. Everything I had eaten so far was great; however, I was disappointed with the fries. They lacked salt and tasted pretty bland. It was apparent the fries were just recently frozen and heated up; as a result, there was zero crisp or color to them.

One major concern I had following the meal was the number of calories. The Raising Cane’s box combo contains around 1,300 calories according to fatsecret.com.  According to healthline, the average man needs 2,500 calories daily, and the average woman needs 2,000 calories daily to maintain their weight. The box combo is over half of a person’s daily caloric intake in one meal. However, most people looking for a fried chicken restaurant do not expect to find healthy choices, so it is not a huge surprise.

Overall, I would say that Cane’s has the best fast-food fried chicken I have ever had. The meal is unique; nowhere else can you get what Cane’s offers. Great chicken and service, a college atmosphere, and a fun crowd. Although I received slightly soggy chicken and distasteful fries, I would still go to Cane’s again because the overall meal and experience were worth it. I would highly recommend Raising Cane’s to any fried chicken lover.