Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers restaurant to open in Batavia
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a fast-food restaurant serving up mainly chicken fingers, is coming to the Randall Road corridor.
Construction is expected to get underway soon on the business at the corner of Randall Road and McKee Street in Batavia. Scott Buening, community development director for the city of Batavia, said he expects the city will issue building permits to Raising Cane's within the next month.
"They want to be open by the fourth quarter of this year," Buening said.
The new 3,300-square-foot restaurant will be built on the former Avenue Motors property. Buening said the developers plan to demolish the existing building on the property within the next month or so, and will start construction shortly after that. The restaurant will have two drive-through lanes, indoor seating and a small outdoor seating area.
He said the redevelopment of the vacant property is welcome to the community. In addition to Raising Cane's, there are expected to be future commercial projects on the property. There is talk of other restaurants and businesses opening on the former Avenue Motors site to the east and south of where Raising Cane's will open, and eventually linking up the property via an access road with the center that houses Apple Villa pancakes.
"We are very happy to see a reuse of the property after being dormant for so many years," Buening said. "The new restaurant will add to food choices in the Randall Road corridor and provide a unique addition that is not yet widely available in the Chicago area. "
Raising Cane's is popular in the South, and is slowly spreading north to the Chicago area. There are approximately 400 restaurants nationwide.
However, there are not many nearby. In Illinois, there are locations in Harwood Heights, Naperville, Chicago, Riverside, Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park.
People often travel many miles for a taste of the restaurant's simple menu. The main feature is its chicken fingers with a variety of dipping sauces.
Raising Cane's also serves crinkle cut fries, coleslaw, tea lemonade and soft drinks, and their popular Texas toast.
In other chicken news:
The Chick-fil-A in Batavia, across Randall Road from where the new Raising Cane's will be, is hosting a Daddy Daughter date night next month.
The dance will take place Tuesday, April 9, at the restaurant, 185 N. Randall Road.
The event will include table service meals, a limo ride and a rose for all of the daughters. The cost of food is not included.
At the other end of the Randall Road corridor, the Chick-fil-A in Crystal Lake, 4812 Northwest Hwy., will also be hosting a Daddy Daughter date night that same evening.
There will be several different seatings throughout the night at both restaurants.
Reservations are required and are filling up quickly. To reserve your spot in Batavia call (630) 761-2640, or in Crystal Lake, call (815) 444-8611.
• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.