Raising Cane’s (East Lansing)
301 E. Grand River AvenueI keep getting sent to Lansing for work.
I had to meet a colleague at the Capitol last week just after lunch time. I had nothing else to do in the morning so I headed over a little early. I figured I could grab lunch and I had a place I’ve been wanting to hit up for quite a while.
Raising Cane’s East Lansing location is, for the time being, the only Michigan location. The restaurant is on the corner of Grand River Avenue and M.A.C Avenue in downtown East Lansing. The restaurant is right across the street from Michigan State University on the bottom floor of a mixed use three story building. I was first in this space many, many years ago when it was Cosi.
This not actually the first time I’ve tried to stop at this restaurant. B and I were in downtown East Lansing last March after watching L skate at nearby Suburban Ice. The restaurant was packed though. I wasn’t super worried about it because in past experiences, the line has moved super fast. I guess they hit their max capacity though. An employee kicked us out of the store and told us to wait outside until the line died down. It was like 10 degrees out. Even if I didn’t have B with me, I wouldn’t have waited in the cold for chicken fingers.
Things were much different on this trip. The store was pretty much empty. I walked right up to the counter and was greeted by an employee coming from around the corner. I’ve only had Raising Cane’s a couple of times so I had to look over the menu to quickly confirm what it was I thought I wanted.
I put in an order for the Caniac Combo. The cost was right around $17, but as you’ll see, it’s quite a bit of food. I grabbed my Coke from the fountain machine then took a seat in the mostly empty dining room to wait.
They must have cooked it fresh because it took a little while for my name to be called.
I should have just sat and ate but I ended up taking it to go and eating in my car sitting in a parking spot next to the Capitol in Lansing.
The Caniac Combo is a pretty large box of food. It includes six chicken fingers, crinkle cut fries, Texas toast, slaw, and two cups of Cane’s sauce.
I actually started with the fries because the chicken was so hot. The fries are simple and unspectactular. They’re frozen crinkle cuts with a little bit of seasoning. I guess if you really like the Cane’s sauce, they would be a good vessel to get that in your mouth. Otherwise, they’re fine and just add more food to the meal.
The chicken was still pretty hot when I finished the fries so I actually grabbed the Texas Toast next. It’s about the size of a Cole’s Garlic Bread. The bread is actually quite tasty even though you probably don’t need anymore carbs with this meal. It’s garlic bread and while it looks like the frozen stuff you buy in the grocery store, it tastes a lot better.
I finally decided to give the chicken a go and it was still pretty hot. The chicken is clearly why you go to Raising Cane’s. I’ve even started using a copy cat recipe when I fry up chicken fingers at home. The chicken is so juicy and tender. There is a great, crispy breading surrounding the meat. If you’re not weird like me, the Cane’s Sauce is apparently the bee’s knees but I don’t like sauces. The chicken is really great on it’s own and I don’t think I miss anything by not dipping it in the sauce.
I mentioned earlier there is only one Raising Cane’s in Michigan…..BUUUUUUUUT….we may be getting one in the Kalamazoo area. There is a proposal right now to put one on the corner of Milham and Westnedge in Portage. Seeing how people went nuts when Chick-Fil-A opened in Portage, it would probably be a good business decision if this one does come to fruition.
Raising Cane’s still has that status of “I need to stop every time I see one because we don’t have one here right now.” The chicken is really good. I love that they keep it simple. Chicken strips and chicken sandwiches. That’s it. And they do it really well.
SW Michigan Dining 