Louisiana-based chicken chain Raising Cane's will open its first Santa Monica location on the Third Street Promenade as the company continues its aggressive California expansion and the city continues to relax restrictions on chain restaurants in its flagship retail district.
The new restaurant will be part of Raising Cane's broader push across the Golden State, where the company now operates roughly 117 locations — the second-highest state total behind Texas. The chain has been rapidly expanding its California footprint since opening its first West Coast location in Costa Mesa in 2015.
The Santa Monica opening comes as city officials work to address high vacancy rates downtown while balancing concerns about maintaining the Promenade's distinctive character. In 2023, the Santa Monica City Council suspended a ban on businesses with more than 150 locations nationwide, reopening the door for large chain restaurants to locate in the area. That decision was upheld this year.
In 2018, the council first banned fast food businesses with more than 100 nationwide locations, rules that were made permanent in 2021 with an increased threshold of 150 locations. Under those restrictions, existing businesses that wanted to relocate couldn't expand, and several restaurants expressed interest in downtown locations but were blocked by the rules. A Yogurtland location just feet from the Promenade was prevented from moving onto the strip proper and that business ultimately moved away from Downtown entirely.
The rules and restrictions for restaurants downtown have fluctuated over time. Where once there were discussions of banning new alcohol licenses on the Promenade, the area now features an outdoor entertainment zone allowing alcohol and the former ban on fast food has now been lifted.
During the recent discussions, city planner Steve Mizokami explained that the fast-food prohibition had unintentionally restricted smaller businesses like ice cream shops and bakeries, while noting the difficulty in distinguishing between "fast food" and "fast casual" restaurants.
Proponents of lifting the ban said the move wasn't about any specific business but rather an attempt to address downtown's vacant storefronts and lack of options to draw customers. Council members initially expressed concerns about attracting distinctive locally owned businesses but ultimately upheld the permanent elimination of fast-food restaurant restrictions.
Raising Canes is replacing several stores that were once versions of the fast food/fast casual segment. Their Promenade location will be the former Bibimbap location and they are expanding into several adjacent units, including the former Yogurt Land location.
Founded in 1996 by Todd Graves near Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Raising Cane's has transformed from a single college-town restaurant into one of America's fastest-growing chains. Graves funded the original venture himself after banks refused loans for his business plan, which had earned poor grades in college. He worked construction and fished in Alaska to save money, eventually naming the restaurant after his yellow Labrador.
The company's growth has been explosive in recent years. From 240 restaurants across 20 states in 2015, Cane's expanded to 457 locations by 2019 and more than doubled to 727 by 2023. As of 2025, the chain operates nearly 900 locations across more than 40 states and has opened international outlets in the Middle East.
Raising Cane's has cultivated an intensely loyal customer base known as "Caniacs." Grand openings frequently feature long lines and overnight camping, including a 2015 California debut that drew more than 100 fans waiting for free chicken. The chain's proprietary Cane's Sauce was recently crowned the industry's "most craveable" sauce in a nationwide survey.
The company's expansion strategy centers on a minimalist menu embodying its "One Love" slogan — essentially just chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas toast and drinks. This streamlined approach differentiates Cane's from competitors offering extensive menus and allows the chain to maintain speed and food quality.
Raising Cane's opened 118 new restaurants in 2024, a company record, and plans nearly 100 more openings this year. The chain has set ambitious targets of reaching 1,600-plus restaurants and around $10 billion in annual sales within the next few years, which would likely place it among the ten largest U.S. restaurant chains by system-wide sales.
The company remains privately owned, with founder Graves holding roughly 90 percent of the business.
