What Zaxby's And Raising Cane's Have In Common

There is a new front opening in the fast food chicken wars, and Raising Cane's and Zaxby's are leading the fight. You may not have realized it, but the chicken sandwich battle is so 2019; the new chicken trend in restaurants is tenders. In the past year KFC, McDonald's, and Wendy's have all rolled out new or improved chicken tenders. But when it comes to fast food chicken tenders, Raising Cane's and Zaxby's loom largest because both chains have made their names on them from the start. In fact the two are so similar, that some people seem to think they're actually the same company. While that isn't the case, the two chains are similar in a way that makes one think there has been a lot of mutual influence.

Both are '90s babies and relatively young as far as major fast food brands go. Zaxby's was founded in Statesboro, Georgia in 1990; Raising Cane's was founded six years later in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After years of regional growth both chains exploded in the late 2010s as chicken was taking over the fast food world. While Zaxby's was the far larger chain going into 2020, its growth has slowed and it has only added about 50 locations since then, for a total of 969 at the end of 2024. During that same period Raising Cane's has exploded, more than doubling its unit count to over 900 locations itself.

While both Zaxby's and Raising Cane's have built their businesses around chicken tenders from the start, Raising Cane's is a bit more committed to its sole specialty, with tenders being the only main course available. The chain does offer a chicken sandwich, but it's just made out of its tenders. And the sides are just as limited. Combos come with Texas toast, fries, coleslaw, and the signature Cane's sauce. One chicken product, one sauce, a few sides, and basic drinks like soda and sweet tea. That's it. Since its 1996 inception, Raising Cane's has never once added a new menu item. Of course, the simplicity of the menu is often credited as the secret sauce of its success, helping it stay focused on quality.

While Zaxby's menu is also fairly simple, it's huge compared to Raising Cane's. Zaxby's has boneless and bone-in wings in addition to its chicken tenders, as well as a chicken patty sandwich, wraps, and some extra flavors like lemon pepper. Like Cane's it has Texas toast, fries, and coleslaw, but also offers fried pickles, cheddar bites, and even veggie egg rolls. There are even a few salads. Finally, Zaxby's has a far greater variety of sauces to choose from. It also has a signature "Zax Sauce," in both standard and spicy versions, and more than 15 other sauces including staples like honey mustard and buffalo, and more unique ones like a strawberry sauce.

Raising Cane's and Zaxby's are far from carbon copies of each other, but if you hone in on the core menu items, you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Reviews note that Cane's and Zaxby's chicken tenders are nearly identical. Both use breaded white meat chicken tenders, with a seasoning mix and flavor profile that makes them taste like copycats. Raising Cane's chicken fingers may be a bit larger, but Zaxby's squeezes a bit more flavor in compared to Cane's, which is sometimes criticized as bland. Other than that, you could be eating at the same chain.

The same thing goes for the signature sauces. They are each classic chicken finger sauces with a mayo and ketchup mixture as the base, and flavored with Worcestershire, garlic powder, and black pepper. They are so similar that copycat recipes you find online are nearly identical. And of course the combos come with the same mixture of sides: thick sliced Texas toast, coleslaw, and fries.

So if you're deciding between the two chains on the taste of the food and know you want chicken fingers, you shouldn't get too much of a different experience at either Raising Cane's or Zaxby's. If you haven't made up your mind and want a more diverse selection, Zaxby's is the place for you. But if the chicken tender wars keep heating up and these chains keep expanding, you'll have plenty of chances to try both for yourself.