Raising Cane's
Eatery plans Norman site
By Ja'Rena Lunsford
The Oklahoman
Baton Rouge, La.-based Raising Cane's did not allow Hurricane Katrina to deter its expansion efforts.
While reopening damaged locations, the chicken fingers restaurant continued with its plans for franchises, including Oklahoma's first location, scheduled to open Nov. 9 in east Norman.
Norman franchise owners Amanda and Chad Achord said the home of the Sooners was their first choice for business.
"We wanted to be in a big college town," Amanda Achord said.
College towns are the staple of Raising Cane's, marketing manager Juan Simoneaux said.
Founded in 1996 in Louisiana State University territory, Raising Cane's has more than 28 locations in college towns including Columbus, Ohio, and Fort Collins, Co.
Simoneaux said although LSU helped make Raising Cane's successful, there's no doubt the late-night restaurant can have the same experience in Norman.
"Even though we're based in Baton Rouge, it really does become a part of the community and the college culture," Simoneaux said.
College life is what drew the Achords to Raising Cane's. Amanda Achord said when the restaurant first opened, she and her husband were students at LSU and spent plenty of time hanging out at the chicken finger joint.
"It was very much a buzz on campus when it opened," she said.
The buzz never left her mind, and in 2003 she decided to become a franchisee, soon convincing her husband as well.
The Achords started out as shift managers at two locations in Baton Rouge and worked their way through the company's Pillar Program, which is designed to help prospective franchisees.
Simoneaux said Raising Cane's simple concept -- chicken fingers, Texas toast, cole slaw, fries and Cane's sauce -- allows the company to have quality product and quality atmosphere.
"One of the things we tell people is that we sell chicken, but the unique thing about Raising Cane's is the culture," Simoneaux said.
Amanda Achord said Norman's culture will be an important part of the new location, which will consist of historic photos of the city and OU memorabilia. Chad Achord said he would like to eventually open locations in west Norman and Oklahoma City.
"The sky's the limit and that's the good thing about this company," he said.
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Re: Raising Cane's coming to metro
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