Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, the Louisiana-based restaurant company known for its ONE LOVE "" quality chicken finger meals "" is set to open its first Bellevue restaurant on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 950 Cornhusker Road.
The new restaurant will kick off its grand opening festivities at 8:30 a.m., with a "Lucky 20" drawing to award 20 customers ages 13 and older Free Cane's for a Year! Bellevue's new Raising Cane's will accept entries from 8:30-9 a.m., with the Lucky 20 drawing held between 9-10 a.m. Caniacs must be present to win.
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Mayor Rusty Hike, City Administrator Jim Ristow and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce begins at 9 a.m. The Raising Cane's crew will also be presenting a check to the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Bellevue West and Bellevue East cheerleaders, basketball players and mascots will join Bruiser the Bruin and Omaha Beef's mascot, T-Bone, in pumping up the opening day crowd. Plus, there will be a police cruiser onsite for customers to check out during the celebration. Doors open to the public at 10 a.m.
First-time visitors will be treated to traditional cheers and other high-energy chants to launch the location in unique Cane's fashion, compliments of its 84 newly hired crewmembers. The new restaurant is still seeking crewmembers to join its team. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online at RaisingCanesJobs.com (search for Bellevue).
In addition, the first 100 dine-in customers ages 13 and older to purchase a Combo meal will receive a free limited-edition Cane's T-shirt, along with a voucher for a free Box Combo "" containing four fresh, never ever frozen chicken fingers, Texas toast, secret recipe Cane's sauce, coleslaw, crinkle-cut fries and a drink "" that may be redeemed on a subsequent visit.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to bring Caniacs in Bellevue a Raising Cane's to call their own," said General Manager Larry Annis. "We've assembled an amazing crew and the new restaurant is in a great location close to Offutt Air Force Base and our Bellevue schools. We have a lot planned for our grand opening celebration, including a few words from Mayor Hike. Hope to see everyone there! We're looking forward to becoming an integral part of the community by getting more involved with schools and other organizations in the area."
At Raising Cane's, it all starts with the chicken finger. The 100% premium white meat chicken tenderloins are marinated, hand-battered and cooked to order, ensuring each chicken finger is served hot, fresh, and juicy. The craveable, secret-recipe Cane's sauce, is homemade daily using only premium seasonings and spices. The extra-long premium crinkle-cut fries are served up hot, fresh and perfectly seasoned with salt. The Texas toast is lightly brushed with garlic and real butter, then grilled. And the coleslaw is made daily with fresh cabbage, carrots and premium creamy coleslaw dressing. Even the lemonade is fresh-squeezed daily, and the sweet tea is freshly brewed throughout the day and sweetened with pure cane sugar. Both are served ice-cold over Cane's famous crushed ice.
Along with its focus on chicken fingers, Raising Cane's is renowned for its commitment to active involvement in its local communities. The new Raising Cane's team participated in the Carnival for Cancer event in Bellevue West, donating $1,000 to the Team Jack Foundation. Additionally, Annis and his fellow crewmembers will be volunteering later today and will donate $500 in food to the Bellevue Food Pantry.
"We are honored to have the opportunity to donate our time and food to the Bellevue Food Pantry," Annis said. "We are fortunate to have such an amazing food pantry in our community that's mission is to 'simply provide food for those in need of it.' In addition to this volunteer work, we are excited to sponsor Bellevue West High School, Bellevue East High School and the University of Bellevue."
Bellevue's new Raising Cane's is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight. This marks the seventh Raising Cane's in the Omaha area, 15th in Nebraska and 425th system-wide.