New restaurant in Seven Corners is all about chicken fingers

During lunchtime, Raising Cane’s, the new restaurant in Seven Corners specializing in chicken fingers, was packed with students who walked over from Justice High School. There were even some students who drove from Meridian High in Falls Church.

The restaurant opened last week on Leesburg Pike in the former Dogfish Head Alehouse building.

Raising Cane’s is known for its “One Love” meals with hand-battered chicken fingers, house-made Cane’s sauce, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and coleslaw.

Freshly-squeezed lemonade and tea are available, as well as fountain drinks.

The walls are decorated with memorabilia paying homage to the community’s history. There are items from Washington athletes, a poster for the Barnum & Bailey Circus, and movie posters for films directed by Justice High School alum Tom Shadyac (“Ace Ventura,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Liar Liar”).

This is the eighth Raising Cane’s in the greater D.C. area and the 14th in Virginia.

Raising Cane’s founder, Todd Graves, raised the money to launch his first restaurant by working on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska. He opened his first restaurant in 1996 at Louisiana State University. He named it for his dog, “Raising Cane,” a yellow Labrador Retriever who hung around the construction site.

The dog became the chain’s mascot. The original Raising Cane has been succeeded by yellow labs Cane II and Cane III.  

Raising Cane’s celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 3 with a drawing for free Cane’s for a year, free swag for the first 100 teachers and first 100 dine-in customers, and the presentation of a check to Justice High School athletics.

The restaurant opens daily at 9 a.m. It closes at 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.