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July 31, 2024

Raising Cane’s preparing to open second Central Mass. location

A large group of people inside a fast casual restaurant Photo | Courtesy of Raising Cane's Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a fast causal chain founded in Lousiana, is set to open its second Central Massachusetts location this winter.

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a Louisiana-headquartered fast casual chicken chain, is preparing to open its second Central Massachusetts location near the Shopper’s World plaza in Framingham. 

The company, which opened a Marlborough location in May 2023, is preparing to open its seventh Massachusetts location at 253 Cochituate Road in Framingham, in the former parking lot of the Aegean Restaurant. 

Work on the site is underway, as a job posting for a general manager position for the location has been uploaded to the company’s website. The location received approvals from the Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals on May 8 allowing for the installation of signs for the location, according to City of Framingham documents.

A representative from Raising Cane's told WBJ via email that the location is expected to open this winter. 

Founded in 1996 in Louisiana, Raising Cane’s specializes in chicken fingers and is known for its crinkle-cut fries and Texas-style toast. Starting with a single location outside the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, the chain has since expanded to more than 700 eateries and 50,000+ employees, with locations as far away as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to its website. The franchise made its debut in Massachusetts in 2009. 

The approximately one acre parking lot at 253 Cochituate Road is owned by the Catherine Briasco Realty Trust of Ashland, according to City property records.

satellite image of a parking lot
Image | Courtesy of Google Earth
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers second Central Massachusetts location will be built at 253 Cochituate Road in Framingham, in the former parking lot of the Aegean Restaurant.

The property containing the former Aegean Restaurant at 257 Cochituate Road is owned by 257 Cochituate Road LLC, a Framingham-based entity managed by Robert Foley, which acquired the property from Paul Linder of Allston in August 2021. Linder had acquired the property following an auction held earlier that year

Raising Cane's will be facing some stiff chicken-related competition upon opening at 253 Cochituate Road. Other poultry-focused restaurants less than a mile away from the location include Chick-fil-A, KFC, and Dave’s Hot Chicken, a California-headquartered fast casual chain focusing on Nashville-style hot chicken. 

Eric Casey is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include more information on the timing of the location's expected opening.  

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