Kokomo welcomes new Raising Cane’s this week

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

KOKOMO, Ind. – This week, Raising Cane’s will celebrate the opening of its newest Indiana location.

The chain famous for chicken fingers is being welcomed to Kokomo with a grand opening on Thursday, Jan. 11. The restaurant is located at 1728 E. Markland Ave., which formerly housed Long John Silver’s and A&W.

Word of a Raising Cane’s location in Kokomo first came to light in March 2023, when the Kokomo-Howard County Plan Commission said the chain wanted to build a restaurant in the city.

The Kokomo location will feature a double drive-thru. To mark the occasion, Raising Cane’s will host several activities for the community on Thursday, including a chance for customers to win free food for a year.

Here’s a look at what’s in store:

• A “Lucky 20” drawing to award 20 customers (age 13 and older) free Cane’s for a Year! Entries will be accepted between 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. with the winners announced at 9:30 a.m. Customers must be present to win.
• The first 100 Customers in line will receive a t-shirt to commemorate the opening.
• A ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. with Indiana University – Kokomo and Kokomo High School athletic departments and the Grissom Air Reserve.

Kokomo’s Raising Cane’s will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The chain said the new restaurant will bring about 100 new jobs to the area.

Raising Cane’s opened its first restaurant in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The menu is composed entirely of chicken fingers; even its chicken sandwich uses three chicken strips. Sides include crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and coleslaw. It’s well known for its signature Cane’s Sauce.

The chain announced expansion plans for Indiana in summer 2022 as part of a larger strategy to expand its reach. Other Indiana restaurants are in Avon, Bloomington, Mishawaka, Muncie, Noblesville and West Lafayette. There are also plans for a Westfield location.

Raising Cane’s, which has 350+ restaurants in more than 35 states, plans to open 100 new restaurants over the course of 2024. In 2023, the chain opened 88 restaurants and entered 15 new markets.