8 Frequent Customer Complaints About Raising Cane's

Raising Cane's certainly has its fair share of satisfied customers; otherwise, it wouldn't have expanded to 1,000 locations since its founder, Todd Graves, first came up with the idea in 1994. It wasn't until August 1996 that the restaurant opened its doors, but it has grown exponentially over the past 30 years. Clearly, it has a lot of success in keeping customers coming back. However, that doesn't mean everyone is a happy camper after their visit. 

We conducted research to identify some of the most common complaints customers have about the chicken fast-food chain. Each of these has many user criticisms, solidifying their status as persistent problems rather than one-time issues. These complaints range from food to cost and other factors. Before you place your next order or visit for the first time, you might want to consider some of these to see how it may affect your experience.

Of course, there's an expectation that prices increase over the decades, but that doesn't mean that people don't complain about it. Customers are unhappy about the price increases and say it's too expensive for what they get these days. One Reddit user posted a photo of their meal and receipt and questioned the price. Their receipt was from December 2023, and the price of a Caniac Combo was $16.59 in Phoenix, Arizona. 

As of August 2026, the same combo at that location is $17.29. Others in the thread said that their portions were even smaller and that they haven't been back for at least a couple of years because of it. People who used to go pretty frequently also say that they've been priced out and choose not to patronize the chicken chain. "Canes just raised their prices. again. i can't go anymore," said another Redditor. Folks reiterate that it's simply not worth the money when you can go to other establishments or even make something similar at home. They're not wrong; homemade chicken tenders take only 20 minutes and a handful of ingredients to make.

Admittedly, Raising Cane's does not have the most interestingly flavored chicken. It is relatively basic, and while that certainly appeals to some customers (enough that the entire chicken chain revolves around the product), there is still a portion of patrons who are severely underwhelmed by the poultry. People consider it too bland and don't think it's anything special. It has a slight peppery touch, but that's about it. 

"The seasoning is in the sauce," one fan said on Reddit. Others don't agree with this sentiment and think the food should taste seasoned and good on its own; one gave the example that if you cook your own chicken, it should be seasoned and flavorful before incorporating sauce. "Sauce should not be carrying the entire flavor profile, it should just enhance it," one person responded. 

Other complaints said the chicken simply isn't good unless you drown it in sauce, or that it's the blandest chicken available at any fast-food chain. Some say they prefer a blander chicken, though, so it seems to depend on the person. However, in a head-to-head with Chick-fil-A, our writer noted that Raising Cane's chicken paled in comparison and clearly lacked seasoning.

People often complain about Raising Cane's fries being soggy, which typically happens when the food is ordered to go. The containers seem to trap steam from hot food, making it soggy. A lot of customers are really annoyed by the situation to the point where they're forced to dine at the restaurant – which isn't exactly convenient. Others say you have to gobble it down in your car immediately after receiving it. Some folks suggest ordering the fries extra crispy; that is a workaround, sure, but the issue of sogginess remains.

There are entire Reddit threads discussing the soggy container problem — an issue that has spanned almost a decade. One customer seems to have found a solution, but it means taking a couple of extra steps. "Before you drive off, open the box and place a few napkins over the food Close the lid and [voilà]!!! The napkins will help keep your food dry," they said. Still others simply think the fries' limpness makes them seem like they came frozen.

Knowing that Raising Cane's always has lengthy lines is one of the unwritten rules you should be aware of before visiting. Plenty of customers are pretty displeased with the time they spend in the drive-thru line, particularly when there is only one car ahead of them; others say you can just expect a 30-minute wait at any time. It doesn't matter if you're at the drive-thru or ordering in; there's always a bit of a line. 

We have driven by at all hours of the day and night, on weekdays and weekends, and can confirm: Expect a queue at any point during the hours of operation. It's certainly worth noting that you shouldn't go in the drive-thru lane if you're in a rush. Not only is the line long, but it also takes a while to receive your order. Some say, though, that those long lines actually enticed them to see what all the hubbub was about, but the experience was just okay. The lines are notorious at this point, and some just don't think it's worth the wait. "If you decide to eat here, don't make any plans afterward, because there's a good chance you'll still be waiting in line," said one Yelp reviewer.

As we mentioned earlier, much of the food's flavor revolves around dunking chicken and fries in the signature Cane's Sauce. But some customers say Cane's should be a sauce restaurant because the sauce is the best-known menu item. The problem is that many customers are not impressed by the condiment's taste either. Maybe these are Raising Cane's haters because fans often guzzle the sauce down like it's water; it's considered one of the best fast food sauces out there. Still, some customers say the sauce is okay at best and don't like being charged a small fee when they needed more for their chicken.

But others claim the sauce is overrated or bad, citing the fact that it's so plain and boring it might as well be ketchup. It has been described as sour, bitter, and slightly too thick. However, others say it's just Thousand Island dressing and isn't anything special. Others suggest you should stick with the house-made honey mustard sauce instead. 

Raising Cane's definitely has a lot of disgruntled customers who don't seem to like anything on the menu but were especially disappointed in the overhyped sauce. It's clear that you either love the sauce or think it is garbage.

There are a lot of mistakes people make when making coleslaw, so it's not far-fetched that Raising Cane's side dish isn't always perfect. Customer complaints focus on many of its qualities. Some folks think that it's tasteless or general regard it as garbage, while others think it's straight gross. Others report that it is too wet. "With so many negative comments on the slaw you would think they would change the recipe," said a Facebook commenter. "I love coleslaw but theirs is awful."

People wonder why it's so inconsistent, and there may be some reasons. One person on Reddit claiming to be an employee says this can happen for a couple of reasons; one is that the staff makes it too slowly, which means it sits out longer, and the second reason is that the slaw is prepped ahead of time. That means the coleslaw may be 12 hours old by the time you order it first thing when it opens. Even the founder, Todd Graves, skips out on the coleslaw – a fact every Raising Cane's fan should know. Some think the best way to enjoy the cabbage dish is, well, to throw it out — in that case, ask to substitute it for extra fries or Texas toast so you don't waste it.

Customers all over the internet have complaints about the state of Raising Cane's service, saying that they're sick and tired of the bad experiences with staff. Of course, this isn't completely across the board, but there are still a fair number of issues that appear widespread. Customers have stated that certain employees are snotty after experiencing a long wait after ordering through the app.

Others say the employees are rude and gave them an attitude (and a bit of a lecture) when they tried to order drinks at the pickup window; this method of ordering isn't standard practice for any restaurant, but the poor service isn't a great look either. The experience was bad enough that the customer said they had no plans to return. Overall, people point out a level of unprofessionalism and disrespect that makes it difficult to keep visiting the chain. Some even say the managers are the culprits behind poor service, so it seems to vary widely. No matter which employee — management or not — is responsible, the subpar customer service remains a major issue that holds people back from frequenting the chain.

There's a special kind of frustration when you wait around for your food, ready to dig in, only to find it is not what you ordered. This can be disappointing (and frustrating) for multiple reasons, whether you're absolutely famished and were looking forward to your specific order or you paid for something that you didn't receive. Plenty of customers complain about this very scenario and report issues with the items that they received. You might receive only part of your order and miss entire meals, as one person said happened to them. 

Others share they only got a portion of their meal — one chicken tender instead of three — and were completely missing their fries. Some of this might be due to the restaurant being particularly swamped, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. And sometimes all it takes is one poor experience to make someone not want to visit again. Believe it or not, one time an enormous 600 chicken finger order went missing, and by "missing," it means the chain had given it to the wrong person. To rectify any errors, people say you have to thoroughly check your order before leaving the establishment or drive-thru.