Raising Cane’s Opening New Location Across Millennium Park

Raising Cane’s is expanding to a new location across from Millennium Park, located at 2 Michigan Ave.

This will be the third Chicago location for the Dallas-based Chicken chain restaurant, following Wrigleyville and Rogers Park. The new 4,000-square-foot Raising Cane’s is expected to open towards the end of the year, possibly early 2023, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. This new location, the 21st in Chicagoland, will replace Panera Bread, which shut down during the pandemic. This comes as part of the company’s plan to quickly become the most prominent chicken eatery.

The exact number of new locations coming to the area is unknown, but co-CEO AJ Kumaran wants his company to be on “every corner of Main and Main, so we are easily accessible to our customers.” Although the chain plans to add locations throughout the city, the new site is interesting. Less than two blocks away are Chick-fil-A and Jolibee, which both serve fried chicken. The new Raising Cane’s will potentially cause a “fried chicken war” within the community, but Kumaran is not worried about the competition.

“We do one thing only, and we do it better than anybody else,” Kumaran tells Crain’s Chicago Business. “Nobody can even come remotely close to the way we deliver on craveable chicken finger meals. Chicago is one of those gateways to the world, so lots of international tourists. It’ll be a beautiful location that I think is going to do really well.”