Dakota Jones spent a cold morning waiting outside a storefront at a shopping plaza near the Steeplegate Mall in Concord from sunrise to 10 a.m.
She was the 13th customer in line for the grand opening of the second New Hampshire location of Raising Cane’s on Tuesday. Luckily, she said, the shop was giving out iced coffee for early customers. She had been eyeing the new restaurant leading up to opening day.
“I drove by, and I saw the building, saw the structure. I got really excited,” she said.
Like Jones, lovers of chicken fingers, Texas toast and crinkle-cut fries in the capital area won’t have to drive down to the Queen City to get their fix of Raising Cane’s anymore.
Jones has attended many grand openings for food spots in Concord to create content on her Instagram page, @foodwith_heart. She was present when The Friendly Toast, Arts Alley and Playa Bowls opened their doors to customers, but she said the opening of Raising Cane’s stuck out for its celebratory feel.
The first one hundred customers at the grand opening entered a raffle to win a full year of free meals at Raising Cane’s. Jones’s lucky number 13 was selected in the raffle, but as a Concord resident, she was just happy to see the franchise open near her.
When she returns for her next meal, she’ll stick to The Box Combo — it’s got everything she likes from Cane’s, she said.
The store’s soft opening on Monday attracted lots of eager customers, including Katie Henderson and Zack Rubenzer. The two Concord residents were motivated to stop in by their friend, who recently became a member of ‘Cane’s Crew,’ the franchise’s team of employees.
Henderson and Rubenzer tried the Box Combo, a meal of four chicken fingers, fries, toast, coleslaw and the franchise’s signature sweet-and-salty ‘Cane’s Sauce.’
“I was satisfied with it. Definitely satisfied with what I paid for it,” Rubenzer said.
Henderson had high praise for the store’s branding.
“I liked that they added local Concord stuff; they reached out to local businesses. I went to Concord High, so seeing the Concord High stuff was cool,” she said.
The store’s wall-to-wall decor pay homage to the capital city. Some trappings stay the same from location to location: the disco balls, photos of Elvis and plaques explaining the brand’s history. But every store also displays pieces that connect the local community.
Concord High School, NHTI and St. Paul’s School feature heavily with banners, posters and photos from yesteryear. Stickers, many of them from local businesses, decorate the drink fountain. The walls also feature at least one framed piece for each Boston sports team, as well plaques honoring Christa McAuliffe and nodding to Concord Coach.
Carly Ciarletta, the Area Leader of Marketing for Raising Cane’s, explained that they try to ground each new location with bespoke decor. One of the brand’s priorities, she said, is to “bring up the spirit of the community.”
“We don’t want to be just a restaurant that opens. We want to be part of the fabric of the community,” Ciarletta said, “from fundraising opportunities to sponsorships and how we can be a good partner.”
She added that the new location employs around 120 people already, but they’re still hiring in Concord.
Concord’s Raising Cane’s location has a large mural with the franchise’s model breaking through. 
The walls of Concord’s Raising Cane’s are full of Concord, New England and brand memorabilia. 
The store features a large mural on the outside with the founder Todd Graves’ dog “Cane,” a yellow labrador. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Concord Crimson Tide has its own special section next to the Raising Cane’s logo. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
A smiley face posted on the wall of the kitchen shines through into the dining room of Concord’s Raising Cane’s. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
The brand’s following is so devoted that Raising Cane’s even sells merchandise in-store. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Raising Cane’s opened in 1996 in Baton Rouge, La., near Louisiana State University’s campus. Since then, the franchise has grown into a $5 billion company with over 950 locations across the country.
Todd Graves, its founder, has been featured in Forbes, Inc. and the Washington Post for his rags to riches story and for the crazed following his brand has built. His dedicated customers call themselves “Caniacs” — whatever the company is doing, it’s working.
Tuesday’s grand opening will feature unique Cane’s traditions that have become staples of the brand’s culture and identity.
The first 100 customers will receive commemorative hats and a complimentary Box Combo Card, and they’ll have a chance to win a year’s worth of free Cane’s through a raffle. There will be ice sculpture carving and a DJ outside for hungry customers to enjoy while waiting in line.
The company will also present a community check to the Capital Region Food Program, a nonprofit aiming to reduce hunger in the Greater Concord Area.
The new store is located at 287 Loudon Rd. in Concord.
