If you’re over 30 years old there’s a chance you won’t have heard of Raising Cane’s, the US fried chicken brand founded in Louisiana in 1996. If you’re under 30, however, the brand’s chicken fingers and signature sauce that can be ordered by the cupful is likely to have been pushed into your social media feed by the overzealous algorithm such is the hype surrounding the brand. Ask any teenager which US food brand they would most like to try and, with the possible exception of cookie brand Crumbl, Raising Cane’s will be the answer on their lips.
The announcement that the brand is making its way across the pond to open in the former Angus Steakhouse just off Leicester Square has naturally been met with excitement. Described as a ‘spectacular’ fast food chain by the Metro, much of the press coverage so far has focused on the chain’s celebrity following, with stars such as Snoop Dogg, Post Malone, Travis Kelce, and Cardi B being namechecked as fans of the brand.
But there is a catch – the long lead time between the announcement and the proposed opening date, which has been set for late next year. Given that the site is already vacant, this timeframe seems conservative and could work two ways for the brand – either building anticipation or letting its competitors make even further inroads into the fried chicken sector in its absence. There is no doubt that the fried chicken category is one of the most hotly contested areas of the UK eating out market with a number of key players, many hailing from the US, on the expansion trail, but how it will look in late 2026 is less clear. Will Raising Cane’s be too late to the party?
A brand with buzz
The obvious answer is an emphatic ‘no’. The brand’s buzz and choice of location means it is unlikely to be anything but a sure-fire smash hit – in the first six months at the very least. It has also said that it intends to build on its debut location with several more London sites to follow, including The Strand, Oxford Circus, Paddington and South Bank, as well as plans for drive-thru locations across greater London and beyond.
Yet its early announcement could also pave the way for some of its close rivals to swoop – in particular the two other new US entrants: Chick-fil-A and Dave’s Hot Chicken. Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based fried chicken chain, has already entered Northern Ireland (the brand did previously have a presence in England, but has since exited) and is looking to open a site in Leeds this autumn. Chick-fil-A says it plans to open five restaurants across the UK by the end of 2026 but is yet to announce any other potential locations – whether the move by Raising Cane’s has an influence on where it looks or not, only it will know.
Then there’s Dave’s Hot Chicken, the California-founded Nashville hot chicken brand that has a social media presence to rival that of Raising Cane’s and an equally impressive black book of stars at its disposal – it counts actor Samuel L. Jackson and singer Usher among its backers. The brand has already successfully entered the UK, its first site mere moments from where Raising Cane’s will take roost, and has followed this up with sites in Manchester and Birmingham. Moreover, further openings in Stevenage and Westfield White City are planned in the coming months, with the brand aiming to have seven sites up and running by the end of 2025.
Out of these two relative newcomers, Dave’s Hot Chicken looks to be the main contender. While Chick-fil-A is by far the biggest brand with more than 3,000 sites across the US and Canada, compared with Raising Cane’s some 900 restaurants across the US and the Middle East and Dave’s Hot Chicken’s 200 sites, and is arguably the most loved out of all three, its move into the UK so far hasn’t been plain sailing and the company is not playing the PR game of its rivals.
By contrast, Dave’s Hot Chicken has successfully played on its fiery credentials, with customers having to sign a waiver to try its hottest chicken variety, and has the backing of Azzurri in the UK, which has extensive experience of the UK’s dining out market. Azzurri has made no bones of its ambitions and is aiming to open 60 sites under the brand across the UK & Ireland in the coming years. By the time Raising Cane’s lands on these shores, it is likely that it will have a strong foothold in the fried chicken category.
Other key players
Let’s not forget also the other key players that have already successfully made a mark in the category and have been the driving force behind it in the past few years, namely Popeye’s, Slim Chickens and Wingstop. All three brands boast impressive portfolios and are continuing to expand at pace - Wingstop UK has been recognised as the fastest growing restaurant group in the UK by The Sunday Times 100 for three years in a row.
History tells us that US fast food brands land very differently in the UK. The close proximity of Dave’s Hot Chicken’s and Raising Cane’s debut site when it finally opens is reminiscent of the 2013 US burger invasion, when Five Guys and Shake Shack both chose Covent Garden in which to plant their flag in the UK. Since then, the trajectory of the two brands have been very different, with Shake Shack operating just 17 sites in the UK, compared with around 170 for Five Guys.
Given the current hype surrounding Raising Cane’s you’d be a fool to bet against its initial success in the capital. Whether it can compete in the wider market of well-established and equally popular US fried chicken chains having come late to the party is less clear. It has certainly given its rivals a lot to think about – and a decent amount of time on which to act on these thoughts.
