Raising Cane's announces May opening for new Florida location

• Raising Cane's is opening a new location in Gainesville, Florida, on May 27.
• The Louisiana-based chain is known for its focused menu of chicken fingers, Texas toast, and special sauce.
• The company has grown to 1,000 locations and has a devoted following.

In a chicken tenders mood? Raising Cane's is bringing its hand-battered, cooked-to-order wares to a new location in Gainesville, Florida, in May, according to the company website.

The rapidly expanding, Louisiana-based chain known for fried chicken fingers, buttered Texas toast, and special sauce (and named after the founder's dog) opened two Orlando locations in December and a new Ocala location in March.

This will make 31 Raising Cane's locations in Florida, including an existing one in Gainesville and two more "opening soon" in Kissimmee and Pensacola.

Here's what to know.

Where is the next Raising Cane's opening in Florida?

A new Raising Cane's location will open May 27 at 3433 SW Archer Road in Gainesville, according to the company website.

A previous one opened at 1680 West University Ave.

More Raising Cane's locations coming to Florida

There are more on the way, according to media reports and local filings, including:

• Locations in Kissimmee and Pensacola are listed on the Raising Cane's website as "coming soon"
• In May 2025, Raising Cane's submitted plans for a new location in Largo at 10500 Ulmerton Road
• Plans have been filed for a Raising Cane's in Brandon near the Brandon Exchange Mall in Hillsborough County, according to The Business Journals
• Jacksonville has at least three in various stages of approval and development:
  • Mandarin Corners, 10989 San Jose Blvd
  • The Markets at Town Center, 4863 Gate Parkway
  • Former Regency Square Mall, 9501 Arlington Expressway
• Tallahassee is getting a second one, replacing a 7,800-square-foot building at 2000 Apalachee Parkway, across the street from where Slim Chickens closed down.
• Melbourne may get one at the former Bob Evans building at 100 Sheriff Drive, according to a site plan filed with the city.
• Fort Myers will soon see one at 13186 S. Cleveland Ave., where a Lone Star Steakhouse has been vacant for 17 years

No opening dates have been announced, and several are still in the permit-approval stage.

What is Raising Cane's?

Founded in 1996 by Todd Graves in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Raising Cane’s has built a devoted national following with a tiny, focused menu centered on their "ONE LOVE" concept: just hand-battered chicken fingers marinated for 24 hours and cooked after they're ordered, never under heat lampos ro warmers.

Sides are limited to Texas toast, crinkle fries, coleslaw, and their special "Cane's sauce." The company prides itself on mixing up fresh batches of cole slaw and sauce in-store every day.

Graves named the chain after his dog at the time, a Labrador retriever named Raising Cane.

Since then, the chain has grown to 1,000 locations in the United States and Guam, with plans for a presence in every state.

Fans have been known to camp out for hours, sometimes overnight, before a new Raising Cane's restaurant opening.

USA TODAY's 10Best named Raising Cane's No. 8 in the top ten best food restaurants of 2025 and runner-up for both best fast food fried chicken and best fast food fries, based on reader votes. Newsweek readers ranked Raising Cane's No. 8 in its 2025 list of Best Fast-Food Chains.

Where can I find a Raising Cane's near me?

Florida’s first Raising Cane’s opened in South Beach in 2022. There are currently 28 locations, with more on the way. You can find the latest list at locations.raisingcanes.com/fl.

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.