Berkeley residents will soon find out what this hype is about. A new location for the popular Louisiana-based fast food chain is scheduled to open in the summer of 2022, according to Mercury News, and will be the first outpost in the bay area.
But if you’re looking for a quick place to satisfy your fried chicken cravings, there’s a problem. The restaurant is planned to be developed across the street from the center of the UC Berkeley campus and will be located on the first floor of a new student housing project at 2580 Bancroft Way. And if the hour-long lines at the drive-through at one of the restaurant’s outposts in Southern California are any indication, long, crowded lines of hungry college students are expected.
I admit – the wait is worth it. If you are new to the cult of Cane’s and its self-proclaimed Caniacs, let me paint a picture: a typical combined order is served in a suitably greasy three-compartment travel box, perfect for dining alone in your car. You can order your chicken dishes in quantities of three or six (or go for a chicken sandwich, if it’s your place, I think). They have a distinct taste and I would say they are a notch above most fried dishes you would buy. in a Popeye or KFC.
You get three sides: coleslaw, some forgettable mashed cut fries, and an unexpectedly delicious piece of Texas toast with sesame seeds. Professional tip: you can swap one side for the other if you wish. The real winner, however, is the special sauce (and they graciously offer you two boxes of it). But you must – and I cannot emphasize it enough – order extra special sauce, or be sad when you’ve reached your last proposal and have no more ways to dive. The lemonade is also very good.
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Raising Cane’s was founded in 1996 and has more than 530 locations across the country.