Popular fast food chicken joint Raising Cane’s opened its first drive-thru location in Queens Wednesday morning, welcoming huge crowds for the grand opening of its new Laurelton location.
The new location, located at 230-13 Merrick Blvd., stands as the fifth Raising Cane’s store in Queens after other locations opened in Flushing, Jackson Heights, Jamaica and Forest Hills.
The new store also stands as the closest Raising Cane’s to Long Island, located just minutes from Nassau County.
Hundreds of people gathered in Laurelton for the opening of the new location, which opened its doors for the first time at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13.
The grand opening celebration featured a “lucky 20” draw, awarding free Raising Cane’s for a year to 20 guests aged 13 and over.
Crowds gathered at the new Laurelton restaurant. Photo via Raising Cane’s
Raising Cane’s also presented checks to local organizations Federated Blocks of Laurelton and 100 Suits during Wednesday’s grand opening.
The celebration also featured a live DJ, with free giveaways for the first 100 customers who purchased a signature box combo, which includes chicken fingers, fries, Texas toast and the popular Raising Cane’s sauce.
Raising Cane’s is one of the fastest-growing fast food chains in the US, ballooning from about 500 stores in 2020 to more than 1,000 stores today. The chain reported $5.1 billion in sales in 2024, more than double its total sales in 2021.
The company also aims to open more than 100 stores across the US in 2026.
Kameron Robinson, the company’s area leader of restaurants, said the new Laurelton location offers Raising Cane’s an opportunity to better serve the Queens community, noting that the location boasts a drive-thru and outdoor patio.
“We are so excited to open our fifth Restaurant in Queens and introduce our first Drive-Thru in the borough,” Robinson said in a statement. “This Restaurant allows us to better serve the Community, whether Customers choose to dine on the patio or swing by during their commute. We’ve felt incredible support from Laurelton and look forward to growing with this neighborhood.”
The company opened its first Queens location in Flushing in July 2024 and has now added four new locations across the borough.