Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers — Restaurant in Shoreview

I am a huge fan of Raising Cane's but I have not eaten there in a while because of how long the waits are. This summer I would go there after work on Fridays. They are always busy with a long drive-through line but it wasn't a problem because I could go inside to make a take out order and be on my way in a few minutes. That all changed when they closed their lobby. Now, the already long line is double wrapped around the building and spills into the street sometimes 10+ cars deep. When I got into this line the first time I though it would take maybe 15 minutes so I started the stop watch on my phone. The time from when I entered to line to when I got my food was 42 MINUTES!!! I love canes but thats crazy for a fast food restaurant. I didn't go back for a couple of weeks after that but I eventually did go back thinking maybe they were just understaffed for that night. I was wrong this time it took 43 minutes. I then thought why don't I just order online ahead of time and then it will be ready when I get there. Much to my surprise they disabled online ordering for that location so the only way I can get canes now is to wait 45 minutes. It may seem insignificant but I love Canes. I had them cater my grad party. They are the only location for me within 30 mins so its the only Cane's I can really go to. I don't blame the employees for the long wait as I am sure they are working as fast as they can. I just do not understand why they closed their lobby. Attached is an image of what the line looks like from an arial view. Whats not shown are the other 10 cars that are waiting in line just to get into the canes parking lot. Again I am sure that the employees are working as fast as they can its just that this location was not designed to handle drive through...

A week or so ago, I went to this location because I was craving some delicious chicken. It's an incredibly popular location that had a long line in the drive-thru, which I'm happy to see and I'm glad to wait. Once I entered the coned off area, I reached to pull out my wallet and realized I left it at home. I waited patiently, unable to exit the line. Once I got to the order area, I kind of laughed and said I was passing through because I forgot my wallet. As soon as I said that, the manager chimed in offering to pay for my meal. I didn't want to take advantage, but I was hungry, so I just ordered two fingers with a sauce.

This is the essence of hospitality and she has no idea how much it means to me. I recently lost my job as a restaurant manager due to Covid 19. I can treat myself to a meal like this maybe a couple times a month and I have a lot of really down moments. She brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.

I didn't get her name, but she was African American with short hair. Promote her, promote her, promote her, promote her! She is your brand and you'd be smart to keep her forever. ...

The food selection is pretty narrow. An offering of chicken fingers, fries and (prepackaged tasting coleslaw). That said when fresh the chicken fingers are tasty but I'm not sure they're in the realm of amazing. It's certainly not cheap. Here's my problem with the place:

If you're a niche offering and all you have is 1 real item and 1 type of sauce to go with it, and you offer a 1/2 oz portion of "your namesake sauce" to compliment the meal yet have the balls to charge me 35 cents for another sauce cup when the combo meal is 8 bucks after tax.... I'm not paying for something that should have come with the meal in the first place. Nor will I be returning to see if they do. Sorry but you lost me as a customer. I'm tired of this penny pinching practice. In fact I think I'll turn the tables and pinch my money back from businesses and stop frequenting the ones who do this.

Take a page from Chick-Fil-A. Their sauce is complimentary, their chicken is better and have more sides to offer. The only thing that did save this place from a 1 star is the fact the chicken was good. The rest is...