The Popular Raising Cane's Ordering Hack That Isn't Worth The Trouble

Fast food menu hacks are understandably enticing. The prospect that visiting our favorite restaurant could become even more rewarding thanks to some simple-yet-secret insider info is hard to resist. The more you experiment with these vaunted tricks for hidden menu items and upgrades, however, the more you learn that not all of them are worth the trouble. Regrettably, Tasting Table has found that ordering your chicken extra-crispy at Raising Cane's is one such disappointing example.

For those unfamiliar with this seemingly innocuous request, it has been widely reported online that if you order chicken or fries extra-crispy at Raising Cane's, you will get exactly that. In exchange for waiting a little longer, the kitchen will deliver food that is crunchier and more texturally pleasing. No one wants a soggy chicken finger, so making this request seems like a no-brainer.

When Tasting Table tested and ranked five Raising Cane's ordering hacks, we found the results of this one did not live up to expectations. Our critic asked for extra crispy chicken, as they already preferred their tenders and nuggets prepared in this fashion. Unfortunately, what was served up was difficult to distinguish from Raising Cane's standard fare. The sensory experience our correspondent was hoping for was largely absent, only being noticeable in a few spots rather than over the whole tender. The main difference was superficial, as the chicken had taken on a slightly darker color.  

There are other factors to consider that might put the average Raising Cain's customer off this culinary cheat code. Because of the extra cooking time required, our tester noted: "This hack can also be a little inconvenient during the lunch or dinner rush." If you're a courteous customer, you probably don't want to keep other customers waiting longer than they have to, or add any stress to the busy employees working in the kitchen.

Other Raising Cain customers who tried the extra-crispy trick received similar results. On the r/RaisingCanes subreddit, one thread began with a poster who wrote: "First time ordering fries extra crispy so not sure what to expect, but these look exactly like they normally do." One respondent who identified as an employee of Raising Cane's explained: "When customers order extra crispy, our standard is to only cook it for an extra 30 seconds. most of us agree that it's not enough time to make a substantial difference ... The maximum that we're allowed to do is one minute of extra cooking time but only upon request."

Don't be too disheartened, though. Tasting Table's correspondent found that the hack of assembling a DIY chicken sandwich was the winner — no surprise, once you know what makes Raising Cane's famously craveable chicken so good. In our critic's words: "I would totally get this again and would probably never need to order the standard sandwich." If you're eating elsewhere and want to ensure you only use tried-and-true menu hacks, check out our rundown of the best secret menu upgrades at every major burger chain.