Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers — Restaurant in Sterling

Updated Review

Chicken wasn't hot and fresh. Slight pink hue but the texture was off, never experienced that before at RC. It was kind of like a powdery taste and the texture of the tenderloin was not normal. But what I'm very dissapointed about is my experience. Ordered 3 meals one with honey mustard instead of canes sauce and that was very clear. When I get my order mine came with cane sauce so I go to the guy calling orders and tell him. He said no problem. He asks the people preparing the food that he needed one honey mustard. The lady in blue shirt doesn't look happy. She says something to him he turns around and asks me what the name was on my order. I tell him, he looks it up says I didint order it and didint pay for it. I said I don't care will pay for it but it's not my mistake. He hands it to me I go to the register and guy says don't worry about it since he rememeberee.

Canes is cheap as hell. Canes messed up not me. My girls ate while I was waiting to get my sauce. It was an inconvenience but that lady in blue trying to penalize me wth is that? BTW condiments and sauce are usually free in all fast food places. And it's just one small container of sauce I'm exchanging. I'm not trying to get something free I always order honey mustard geez.

Original Review Been a fan of Raising Canes for a while now. There is one where I went to school and that's where it started. And for work travel, I always try and find location due to the nostalgia. For those new to this place keep in mind several things:

These arent savory or spicy or spiced what have you...these are fresh fried good ole chicken fingers and if that's what you are seeking, you came to the right place. Dont go in there thinking you have wonderful sauced or flavored options.

Sauces or lack thereof: By default your fingers come with canes sauce, a blend of ketchup and mayo and some acidic tang to it which tbh is not that great. The other option is honey mustard. Try both, I personally prefer the honey mustard. Know that depending on which size combo you get, you only get that much sauce. You need to pay extra for more sauce and many feel they just dont give you enough to begin with. It sucks if you need more sauce while eating since you go back in line to pay for an extra sauce to complete your meal.

Lemonade...they charge extra and it's not that clear when you order a combo. So if you want to make an arnold palmer (half tea half lemonade) you have to customize it because the tea is out in self serve so you end up paying more for half lemonade if that makes sense.

Prices arent cheap. Not sure if it's this place but I dont recall paying what I did for my box combos. In addition the fingers were smaller than I am used to. The lemonade was indeed weaker than any other Canes I've been to. The restroom during my visit had no soap, and the beverage area was very very messy. I had them last in AZ several months ago for comparison.

All in all, good traditional fingers, prices creep up when adding sauce or lemonade, and...

Let's talk fried chicken. I've spent years behind the counter at fried chicken joints, and my passion for crispy, golden goodness runs deep. While my love for fried food is undeniable (don't worry, I hit the gym hard to balance it out), I'm also a tough critic. So when this new spot opened up, I had to give it a shot. The lines were insane at first, but I finally made it in. And what an experience it was. The Verdict I'm breaking down my review piece by piece, so you can see exactly where they soar and where they fall flat. Chicken Finger - A Disappointing 3/10 My heart sank with the first bite. Based on my years of experience, the flavor of old, overworked frying oil was unmistakable. It left a greasy film and, for the first time in a long time, reminded me what true heartburn feels like. This was a culinary tragedy. Fries - A Forgettable 3/10 These fries were just... sad. They lacked any real flavor beyond a heavy-handed dose of salt. They're clearly designed to be a vehicle for the sauce, a missed opportunity for a truly great side. Coleslaw - A Decent 6/10 It's standard fare, nothing more, nothing less. It tastes just like their competitors'. My biggest gripe is the tiny portion they give you for the price. Texas Toast - A Lackluster 5/10 It smelled divine, but that's where the magic ended. The taste was unremarkable, and the size was a huge letdown compared to the pictures. Getting only one small piece with a $16 combo feels like a rip-off. Drinks (Sweet Tea & Lemonade) - A Sour 4/10 I asked for light ice, but they practically gave me an ice slushie. Both drinks were barely sweet, but the lemonade was a particular letdown. I'd read great things on their site, but it was just unbalanced and far too sour. It doesn't even come close to the gold standard set by CFA. Cane Sauce - The Glorious 10/10 This sauce is the absolute hero of the menu! It’s what saves this entire meal. It has a rich, fresh texture, and I believe their claim that it's made in-house. It’s so good that I'd seriously consider going back just to buy extra sauce to use on food from other places. Overall Thoughts My final rating for this place is a disappointing 4/10. The drive-thru was fast, but the customer service was nothing special. And don't even get me started on the styrofoam boxes—they're terrible for the environment and make the food soggy on the way home. Despite my critique, I still urge you to go and try it for yourself. Just be warned: order extra sauce! Get your drinks with less ice, and if you can, avoid the peak hours. Enjoy, and may your...

Come for the chicken, stay for the sauce!

I visited a couple times recently with a friend, once through the drive-thru and another ordering ahead online. Drive-thru service was good and fast. Ordering online was easy and simple, but I was disappointed to see the options for curbside and drive-thru pickup are marked as unavailable on the website. This location has parking spaces marked for curbside pickup so it's strange to me that this option wasn't available. Regardless pickup was a quick and easy experience, I like that they leave your cup empty by your food on the shelf if you ordered a soda or sweet tea so you can fill it yourself and don't have to worry about it being warm or watered down with melted ice.

The food was good, but not as great as the fanatics will make you think. Everything was tasty, I love the nice soft texas toast, and while the tenders and fries are good, but are nothing special, they might be better if you sit down in the restaurant but my experience with take out from here is that they lack the crispiness I'm looking for! The breading on the tenders has a bit of crunch to it, but could be better, the real offender though is the fries! The fries have been soggy both times I've visited; it's a shame when the fries are less crispy than a frozen bag from the store. I tried putting a note in the special instructions when I ordered online asking for the food extra crispy, but it seems it was either ignored or not allowed since it was no better than my first visit.

I see management actively responding to reviews on here, so if you have any advice for what to ask for to get crispier food please let me know! Would love to give your restaurant another try, but it's not worth going out of my way right now to get soggy fries and mildy...