Grand Opening at Tuscaloosa's Raising Cane's Draws Big Crowd

The grand opening of the new standalone Raising Cane's restaurant in central Tuscaloosa drew a huge crowd of prize-seekers, politicians, a few PETA protestors, and police despite high temperatures Monday morning.

The new location at 1241 McFarland Boulevard East is the chicken chain's first standalone restaurant in the city, joining its long-running campus location. As the Thread previously reported, the opening is part of a seven-restaurant nationwide expansion tied to the brand's 30th anniversary.

Robert Buchalter, the property owner and a leader at his family's Capital Growth Buchalter development firm, was emotional as he recalled taking ownership 30 years ago in 1996 and having to rebuild after their shopping center was "blown away" by the EF-4 tornado that devastated Tuscaloosa in 2011.

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The grand opening also drew a notable turnout of local and regional leaders, including Mayor Walt Maddox, State Senator Gerald Allen, and much of the Tuscaloosa City Council. Council President Kip Tyner, who is recovering from health issues, was not in attendance.

"Robert and I are both Idlewood boys, we grew up in the same working-class area of Tuscaloosa, and I like to think we both know what it means to work hard," Maddox said. "When we lost Woods Square in 2011, and we had to rebuild our city block-by-block, Robert Buchalter was there for the city of Tuscaloosa and he continues to be here for us today."

As part of the celebration, Raising Cane's donated $2,000 to the local Nick's Kids Foundation, and 20 customers won free Cane's for a year through the restaurant's "Lucky 20" drawing.

The morning also drew a small group of PETA protesters, who had announced plans earlier to stage a demonstration at the opening.

The graphic demonstration involved suspending a woman upside down and pretending to slit her throat, fake blood and all, to draw attention to poultry-processing practices they call animal cruelty.

While some passing drivers hollered at the group, and one passing bicyclist suggested they should instead be protesting the killing of children in Gaza, a large and visible Tuscaloosa Police Department presence kept the scene calm.

Festivities began before the restaurant's 10 a.m. opening and included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce, an appearance from University of Alabama mascot Big Al, and a live DJ.

The restaurant's interior features décor celebrating Tuscaloosa alongside artwork tracing founder Todd Graves' journey building the brand, Cane's said in a press release.

The new Raising Cane's is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight.

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