Wed 2nd Jul 2025 - Exclusive: third-largest US chicken brand Raising Cane’s gearing up for UK launch Exclusive – third-largest US chicken brand Raising Cane’s gearing up for UK launch: Raising Cane’s, which recently became the third-largest chicken brand in the US by sales, behind Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, is gearing up to launch in the UK, and is in talks to secure a flagship site in London’s West End, Propel has learned. Propel understands that Raising Cane’s, which specialises in chicken fingers and operates more than 900 sites, the majority in the US, is in talks to secure a flagship site in London’s Piccadilly, with Coventry Street touted as a possible destination. The company is also believed to be in talks on a site in The Strand. The Louisiana-based company, which was founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey, is understood to be working with property advisory firm Etch on its plans for the UK, and is thought to have already also looked at potential sites in Manchester and Birmingham. Propel understands that Graves, who named the business after his labrador retriever, Raising Cane, is personally overseeing the launch of the brand here, which will initially involve company-owned sites. The brand is set to make a significant investment in its launch here, especially on initially securing flagship Central London sites, in a strategy reminiscent of Five Guys launch in the UK. The business set up Raising Cane's Restaurants UK Holdings at the start of this year. Its restaurant footprint has grown to more than 900 locations, up from just over 500 in 2020. Last year, it opened 118 restaurants. About 100 are expected to open this year, with another 200 or so in the development pipeline. Outside the US, the brand has locations in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The company recently told CNBC that its system sales rose to $5.1bn last year, more than double its total in 2021. In 2024, Cane’s restaurants had an average unit volume of $6.6m, more than double the fast-food industry average, according to the company. For comparison, McDonald’s average unit volume for restaurants opened at least a year hit $4m last year, while Taco Bell’s were $2.2m. Rival Chick-fil-A, which is also in the process of relaunching in the UK, reported an average unit volume of $9.3m in 2024. Raising Cane’s will be following peers Popeyes, Wingstop, Slim Chickens and Dave’s Hot Chicken in entering the UK’s highly-competitive quick service restaurant chicken sector. Popeyes launched in the UK in November 2021 and has already grown to 65 locations. In 2024, the TDR Capital-backed UK business opened 33 new sites and plans to open 45-plus new restaurants in 2025. Wingstop made its UK debut in 2018 and has grown to circa 60 sites, with plans to open 20 new sites this year. Last December, Propel revealed that the UK franchise of Wingstop was sold to US investment firm Sixth Street, in a £400m deal. Slim Chickens launched in the UK in 2018 in partnership with Boparan Restaurant Group, and now has in excess of 70 sites here. Dave’s Hot Chicken made its UK debut in London’s Shaftesbury Avenue last December. Propel revealed last July that the US brand had signed a franchise agreement with Azzurri Group to open 60 locations across the UK and Ireland. Dave’s Hot Chicken UK has openings lined up in Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. The Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book provides an exhaustive guide to the financial performance of 1,125 of the UK’s leading operators and is available exclusively to Premium subscribers. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.