Raising Cane's revises Long Island plans, but still coming in 2026, chicken chain says

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers again is revising its plan to enter the Long Island market, but the fast-casual chain still expects to make a debut in the area in 2026.

The timeline for openings and some planned locations have changed, a spokeswoman for the chain said in an email to Newsday.

In 2023, Newsday reported that the fast-growing Louisiana-based chicken chain said it planned to open its first four Long Island restaurants this year in Carle Place, Commack, East Meadow and Hauppauge.

Then last May, Raising Cane’s said it had canceled the plans for eateries in Commack, East Meadow and Hauppauge, and was delaying its Long Island entrance to 2026, when it would open two restaurants — in Bay Shore and Carle Place.

Those plans have been revised.

"While we were previously exploring a location in Bay Shore, we ultimately decided to pursue other opportunities in the area and are looking at Commack and Farmingdale for late 2026 and early 2027 openings, respectively," the Raising Cane's spokeswoman said in an email earlier this month.

The Carle Place restaurant, to be located at 1028 Old County Road, is still in the works, but it now is set to open in early 2027, she said.

Founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996, Raising Cane’s is a fast-growing chain with a streamlined menu — chicken fingers and chicken finger sandwiches, plus a few sides.

 Chain seeks approvals

Raising Cane’s did not disclose additional information about its Long Island plans, including the address of the proposed Farmingdale restaurant and the reasons for the delayed and canceled restaurant openings. But building-related documents filed with towns show the company is moving f orward with some plans. 

In August, Raising Cane’s Restaurants LLC submitted plans to the town of Smithtown’s building department seeking approval to demolish an existing McDonald’s restaurant at 2 Vanderbilt Parkway and replace it with a new 3,500-square-foot building for a Raising Cane’s, said Blaise T. Donadio, senior planner for the town of Smithtown.

Revised plans submitted in February were rejected by the town’s building department because Raising Cane’s is seeking several variances, which are exceptions to existing zoning ordinances, to allow its Commack restaurant to have more signs, higher wall signs, a reduced distance from Vanderbilt Parkway and less parking than is currently permitted, Donadio said.

On March 10, Raising Cane’s submitted an application to Smithtown's planning department seeking variance approvals from the zoning board of appeals, which has scheduled a hearing for April 8, he said.

The owner of the McDonald’s property, Vanderbilt Shopping LLC in Huntington, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A Raising Cane’s in Carle Place would be part of a redevelopment of the former site of the Château Briand Caterers event venue at 440 Old Country Rd., in a 21,300-square-foot building that was demolished last year.

Redevelopment plan

In March 2024, Woodbury-based Scotto Brothers Inc., which owns the approximately 5½-acre site through affiliate companies, submitted a redevelopment plan to the Town of North Hempstead that included constructing a 2,804-square-foot Raising Cane’s restaurant; a 3,015-square-foot bank with a drive-thru; and a two-story, 35,558-square-foot retail building with space for six tenants, according to documents filed in the town building department.

The two-story retail building would be attached to an existing DSW shoe store at 357 Old Country Road

On Jan. 15, the town of Hempstead’s building department issued a notice of disapproval of the building plans, so Scotto Brothers will need to file an appeal with the town’s board of zoning appeals, town spokesman Kevin Higgins said.

Scotto Brothers did not respond to requests for comment.

Last year, Raising Cane’s opened 118 restaurants, a record-high for a single year, and reached new markets, such as Milwaukee, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., the company said.

The chain plans to open 100 restaurants in 2025, including one near Columbia University in Manhattan.

Raising Cane's opened its first New York State restaurant — its global flagship in Times Square in midtown Manhattan — in 2023, and now has eight restaurants in New York City.

The brand finished 2024 with 828 U.S. restaurants, which was a 14% increase from 2023 and more than double its number of eateries in 2018, said Kevin Schimpf, senior director of industry research at Technomic, a restaurant and retail industry research firm in Chicago.

The "highly craveable menu items (especially their sauce), strong appeal among younger consumers, and fast/convenient drive-thru operations would be the biggest reasons" helping to fuel Raising Cane’s fast growth, Schimpf wrote in an email.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.