By Darrell Kirby | [email protected]

Why did the chicken cross the road? 

To get to what will soon be West Valley City’s newest fast-food chicken restaurant (or to get away from it, depending on the chicken’s perspective). 

That new outlet is Raising Cane’s, a Baton Rouge-based national chain which hatched in 1996 on the Louisiana State University campus and specializes in chicken fingers. In case you’ve been cooped up from the fowl world outside, chicken fingers are somewhat similar to chicken tenders or chicken strips, but consist of chicken breasts cut into strips whereas the latter two are made from other parts of the bird.  

Raising Cane’s officials are flapping their wings over the new location at 3300 S. 5600 West. “We’re really excited for this area. We know it’s a busy area. We can’t wait to be part of West Valley City,” said Utah native Chris Vines, area leader for Raising Cane’s. A mid-November opening is planned. 

The West Valley restaurant will be the third in Utah, joining a small but growing flock in the state that includes recently opened locations in South Jordan and Provo with other planned for South Salt Lake, Sandy, Layton and Riverdale. There are more than 550 Raising Cane’s across 34 states and 333 cities, with a large presence in Louisiana, Texas and California. The chain has even expanded to Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. 

Raising Cane’s has a fairly simple menu that, along with the headliner chicken fingers, features crinkle cut fries, Texas toast and coleslaw. The fingers can be dipped in “Cane sauce,” whose ingredients are kept under wraps but is made fresh daily at each restaurant. Then wash it all down with fresh hand-squeezed lemonade and other drinks. 

Vines said her company is not just about grabbing market share in the competitive fast-food industry, but giving back to the community by sponsoring and supporting local organizations and events, donating to food banks, and providing free meals to various groups. “We are good about partnering with local businesses because that (community support) is what keeps us going.” 

Raising Cane’s was named after founder Todd Grave’s dog. His original plan was to name it something like Sockeye Salmon after he went fishing in Alaska, but a friend suggested he throw that name back and reel in something else. 

The West Valley City restaurant will employ about 150 people covering various positions and shifts. “We try to make sure it’s a great place to work as well as a great place to eat,” Vines said of the company’s values.