How Raising Cane's is run
The company says it is focused on building its own restaurants in a very specific geography while supporting its existing franchise partners, and isn't entertaining franchise or development opportunities anywhere. (Raising Cane's FAQ)
Outside the US
In the Middle East, Raising Cane's is run by the Alshaya Group, which opened the first one in Kuwait in 2015 and now runs more than 50 in Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. (Alshaya Group, September 2025)
Franchises like Raising Cane's
If you want to own a chicken finger business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to Raising Cane's, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chick-fil-AFee $10K · Royalty 15% + 50% of profit · Sales $9.16M a location | $318K–$3.46M | $10K | 15% + 50% of profit | 2,863+452 in 3 yrs | $9.16M |
| Zaxby'sFee $35K · Royalty 6% · Sales $2.78M a location | $1.45M–$3.81M | $35K | 6% | 969+58 in 3 yrs | $2.78M |
| Dave's Hot ChickenFee $40K · Royalty 6% | $824K–$4.12M | $40K | 6% | 358+266 in 3 yrs | – |
| Slim ChickensFee $30K · Royalty 5% of gross sales · Sales $2.35M a location | $1.19M–$4.94M | $30K | 5% of gross sales | 215+67 in 3 yrs | $2.35M |
| Hangry Joe's Hot ChickenFee $35K · Royalty 6.5% | $306K–$518K | $35K | 6.5% | 95+93 in 3 yrs | – |
| Huey Magoo'sFee $35K · Royalty 5% · Sales $2.04M a location | $842K–$1.79M | $35K | 5% | 85+42 in 3 yrs | $2.04M |
| Layne's Chicken FingersFee $50K · Royalty 5% · Sales $2.21M a location | $482K–$1.55M | $50K | 5% | 40+31 in 3 yrs | $2.21M |
| Crimson CowardFee $35K · Royalty 6.5% | $319K–$641K | $35K | 6.5% | 20+13 in 3 yrs | – |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
Chick-fil-A is the largest, with 2,863 US locations, and Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken costs least to open, from $305,500. Chick-fil-A added the most locations, +452 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, Chick-fil-A reports the most per location, $9.16M a year. The typical chicken franchise starts at $407K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these chicken finger franchises loses the fewest owners?
Huey Magoo's. None of its franchised locations closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 0.8% a year at Zaxby's. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand