Raising Cane's is hiring 35 people to staff its downtown Lincoln location.
After more than a year of being closed, the downtown Raising Cane's is set to reopen Wednesday.
The restaurant located at 14th and P streets shut down in early March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and never reopened, with the company instead using the time to remodel the restaurant.
Raising Cane's said it is in the process of hiring 35 people to staff the restaurant, which will be open for both dine-in and carry-out.
BEST DRIVE-THRUS IN LINCOLN
Readers' choice: Best drive-thrus in Lincoln
Chick-fil-A fans defend their chicken
Vehicles go through the drive-thru of the Chick-fil-A at 6810 S. 27th St. in October 2019. Research by SeeLevel HX said the time spent this summer in the chain's drive-thrus increased half a minute over last year's 5 minutes, 57 seconds. The chain's fans don't seem to mind. "They are slow because the food is high quality and the staff is awesome and well trained. They are popular!!" said Liz Sanders Koop in a post to the Journal Star Facebook page.
Who says it's slow?
Cars line up during the lunch rush in August 2019 at Chick-fil-A on the corner of 48th and O streets. The mystery shoppers for SeeLevel HX gave the chain the top ratings for order accuracy, customer service and taste, which its fans say make up for any extra waiting — if there is any. Some supporters say it's quick. "I think "Chick-fil-A is the fastest in town lol," said Zach Jennings in a Facebook post.
Fans praising Raising Cane's
Diners fill the dining room at the Raising Cane's location near 56th Street and Old Cheney Road in 2015. Cane's also had supporters in the Facebook thread. "Raising Cane has better chicken and isn’t as pricy … had Chick-fil-a and was not impressed, their chicken tenders are a quarter of the size of Cane's," Terre Stickney said in a post.
Support for Slim Chickens
The conversation about drive-thrus quickly turned to other options, including Slim Chickens, which got a vote from Jo Thomas on Facebook. The chain opened this store, its first in Nebraska, in 2015 at 5805 S. 85th St.
High on Hog Wild
While the SeeLevel HX research focused on national chains, the Facebook discussion included shoutouts for regional ones, including the Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q shop at 3210 Cornhusker Highway.Â
More regional flavor for Culver's
Dana and Cindy Rose sit outside their Culver's at 1500 Old Cheney Road, the first one in Lincoln, shortly after it opened in 2000. Its drive-thru also received a vote.
A vote for Amigos
Drivers wait their turn in the drive-thru at the Amigos/Kings Classic restaurant at the corner of South 27th Street and Capitol Parkway on Friday. The Nebraska chain received a vote.
The drive-thru may be fast, but how's their chicken?
While the SeeLevel HX survey looked at the speed for fast-food restaurant drive-thrus, the conversation on the Journal Star's Facebook page was a little broader. David Ben Fischer gave a vote to Union Bank. Perhaps the other banks in Lincoln need to up their game.
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Matt Olberding
Business reporter
Matt Olberding is a Lincoln native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who has been covering business for the Journal Star since 2005.
