Raising Cane’s, one of the fastest growing chicken fast food chains in the United States, has a simple seven-letter slogan that it has kept for nearly three decades: One Love.
The Louisiana-based chicken chain, with five locations across Connecticut and growing, offers its signature crispy chicken fingers and sauce. The chain focuses strictly on quality and simplicity, serving only fresh, never-frozen chicken tenders that are hand-battered, cooked to order, and paired with their Cane’s Sauce, according to Coryn Princevalle, the Connecticut-area leader of Raising Cane’s restaurants.
Cane’s slogan signifies the brand’s unique singular, dedicated focus on quality chicken finger meals rather than a complex menu.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
“Being one of the fastest growing restaurant brands with over 1,000 restaurant locations, and opening nearly 100 a year, we make all our food in-house and our chicken fingers are high quality. Our ‘One Love’ is our chicken fingers and we really focus on the details to ensure perfection. When people come into a Cane’s, our culture is a part of the experience and high quality food,” Princevalle said.
Started by Todd Graves in 1996, with an original location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it has grown steadily over the past three decades. The company has restaurants in 42 states and five countries, with over 50 new restaurants under construction around the country. In Connecticut, locations have opened in Enfield, Manchester, Milford, Simsbury and Wethersfield. A sixth location is planning on opening in Waterbury near Brass Mill Commons by the end of the year, according to Princevalle.
The company has been named one of Greater Hartford’s Top Workplaces in the Courant program for the second time in a row. The recognition is based on employee surveys conducted by Energage, as well as information about employee programs and benefits.
“We are proud to be recognized as a Top Workplace in Connecticut because it reflects the culture that we work to build everyday,” Princevalle said. “A culture where our crew members feel supported, valued and part of a team and our restaurants are fast paced and fun and everyone plays an important role in our success.”
Raising Cane’s placed among the top 10 businesses in the large category with more than 70,000 employees nationwide. The company has 350 employees in Connecticut and 120 Greater Hartford employees, according to the company. Employees listed workplace culture and benefits as some of the top draws in working for the company.
“We want Cane’s to be a place where people can build a career. We invest in our people and give them an opportunity to learn and develop as leaders and grow with the company,” Princevalle said. “If someone wants to build a long-term career, we want them to see that as possible at Cane’s. Our benefits demonstrate that investment in our crew, we offer benefits that are designed to support members both at work and outside of it.”
Cane’s offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to attract and retain the best crew in the business, according to Princevalle. Casual uniforms, flexible hours and schedules, paid holidays and vacation time, paired with free crew gear like T-shirts and polos set a more fun and causal workplace tone.
“We call it the three R’s, recognition, reward and respect,” Princevalle said. “We invest in our crew with tuition reimbursement, education benefits and an industry-leading “Restaurant Partner” program that rewards and trains our top restaurant leaders. We provide multiple opportunities for hourly crew to earn more dollars per hour through training premiums and certifications, and we even offer $10,000 toward closing costs for restaurant leaders purchasing their own home.
“We have a first-time homebuyers program for our restaurant leaders,” Princevalle added. “If someone is employed with the company for one year and they are in good standing with the company, they get $10,000 toward the purchase of their first home. It’s a pretty unique benefit across the industry. A lot of our benefits are really unique to this industry and cannot be found elsewhere.”
The company also offers several insurance benefits including 100% company-paid life and accidental death and 100% company-paid short-term and long-term disability. Cane’s offers its employees health insurance, with an HRA, that includes a company-paid portion of the premiums. Other coverages available include dental, vision, FSA, supplemental life insurance and a 401(k). The company’s Crewmember Assistance Program, which is more unique to the industry, provides services ranging from professional counseling to financial planning. In honor of Cane’s mascot, Cane III, the company also offers pet insurance, she said.
“There’s different ways we recognize employees, from a handwritten note to some free crew gear or a gift card, we are always wanting to say ‘thank you’ to our crew,” she said. “It is our job to listen and recognize the great work our employees do and help people grow. Our crew members know how important they are to our success. There is nothing more important to us than our crew, and we ensure we have some of the best benefits in the industry to reflect that.”
Princevalle said the company has no plans to slow down as it continues to expand across Connecticut and the rest of the country.
According to Princevalle, the chain remains committed to giving back and being local area destinations. Each restaurant location features images and memorabilia from the towns they are located in, creating a local nostalgic feel, despite the chain having a national presence.
“Cane’s is very active in the communities that it serves. We conduct fundraisers with local organizations to build bonds in communities we are in,” Princevalle said. “We have supported over 30,000 local organizations totaling more than $165 million in funds donated over almost 30 years. Cane’s supports thousands of local and national causes, organizations and events each year from pet welfare, enhancing education, feeding the hungry, promoting active lifestyles and entrepreneurship.
“Our growth in Connecticut creates more opportunities and we’re excited about the team we’re building here,” Princevalle added. “As we grow, we want to create more opportunities for local crew members to advance and become the next generation of leaders. You will absolutely see more growth in the future. We are always hiring top talent and encourage anyone to take a look at our website and our openings. It’s a really fun and engaging place to work.”
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com.
Dining and Cooking