I visited Raising Cane's 8,000-square-foot flagship restaurant in New York City. Look inside the Tim

• I attended the grand opening of the new Raising Cane's flagship restaurant in Times Square.
• The 8,000-square-foot space features murals, a bread-inspired seating area, and a dog statue.
• The space is part of the company's plans to achieve international growth and "plant a flag" in NYC.

Caniacs, unite — a giant new Raising Cane's location just opened in Times Square, and it's seriously over-the-top.

I was invited to the grand opening of Raising Cane's new flagship restaurant in Times Square on Tuesday. The 8,000-square-foot space features murals, a bread-inspired seating area, and a dog statue that pays homage to its current mascot, Cane III.

On top of getting to meet the yellow Lab myself and trying one of the chain's meal combos, I also got to tour the space and speak to fans about why they might line up around the block to attend opening day — and line up, they did. 

Here's what it was like to go to Raising Cane's in Times Square. 

On Tuesday, I attended the grand opening of the brand-new Raising Cane's flagship restaurant in Times Square.

Raising Cane's, a fast-food chain that is famous for its chicken fingers and beloved Cane's sauce, was founded in Louisiana in 1996 by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey, and it has been expanding rapidly over the last decade.

According to the company's 2022 year-in-review publication, it opened 82 new restaurants last year, expanding into three new states — Michigan, Florida, and Pennsylvania — and entering nine new markets, bringing its total number of restaurants to 677. The company made $3.2 billion in sales in 2022, according to the report.

There are a couple of locations on Long Island in New York already, but the Times Square location at Broadway and 44th Street is the company's first of a few New York City restaurants. 

I only tried Raising Cane's for myself for the first time about two years ago, and I was impressed by the chain's crispy, yet juicy, chicken fingers and signature sauce. So, when I was invited to the grand opening of the flagship restaurant, I couldn't resist. 

Surrounded by members of the press, influencers, and former "Bachelor" contestants who were also invited to the opening, I anxiously awaited the opening of the 8,000-square-foot restaurant and the arrival of its founder, Todd Graves.

The building itself is multiple stories high and was first built in 1926. Graves told Insider that the construction of the 8,000-square-foot restaurant took about two years to complete and that the chain was able to capitalize on available retail spaces that closed due to the pandemic. 

Lines of fans wrapped around the block to get into the new restaurant.

According to a press release, over 300 customers waited for hours in line to get their hands on the chain's chicken fingers. Some of the customers I spoke to were longtime fans of the chain, and others were trying it for the first time.

One "Caniac" I spoke to wore a shirt featuring the chain's canine mascot and carried a 25th-anniversary Raising Cane's stuffed animal.

When asked why she was there, the fan who identified herself as Selena said that she simply had to be there for the grand opening. 

"I love Cane's so much and I can usually only get it if I go out to the Midwest, but I'm a big fan. I have T-shirts, merch, the little pups, I have all the collections you can probably think of," she told Insider. "I needed to be here. There was no question."

As for what sets it apart from other chicken chains like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, Selena said that Cane's "does one thing," its chicken fingers, "really well."

This was also part of the brand messaging that founder Todd Graves told reporters inside, so it appears to be resonating with customers. 

Inside, there was a gift shop of sorts where customers could pick up Raising Cane's-themed T-shirts, key chains, socks, and more.

For the most devoted "Caniacs," many of the items were designed specifically for the New York City location and featured homages to the city, like yellow taxi cabs and the Statue of Liberty.

Another section of the restaurant featured glass enclosures of its merchandise.

A digital billboard advertised the chain's chicken-finger meals and its slogan, "That's our one love."

A statue of the chain's mascot, a yellow Labrador named Cane, sat at the entrance to the restaurant wearing a Statue of Liberty costume.

Cane has served as a mascot for the brand since the very beginning.

Graves initially planned to call his restaurant "Sockeye's," after the salmon, but his dog, Raising Cane, ultimately became the namesake for the chain after he began visiting the construction site of the first restaurant in the 1990s. 

Cane III himself was part of the action at the grand opening.

Before Cane III, there was also Cane II, who lived from 1999 until 2016.

Cane III, born in 2017, appeared excited to be at the bustling grand opening and was extremely friendly, running up to people to receive treats and belly rubs.

The atmosphere inside was electric, and I could see why people might resonate with this brand — the restaurant's decor and staff were warm and inviting, on top of the fact that I was about to be served some delicious chicken fingers. Not to mention, there was an adorable dog mascot there. What's not to love?

By the front of the restaurant was a booth seating area with chairs designed to look like bread buns.

Each Cane's meal comes with a bun that you can use to make your own chicken-finger sandwich.

I thought the chair and the coffee table — which looked like a tub of Cane's sauce — were quirky nods to the brand that made the space feel photo-worthy. 

Signage throughout the restaurant paid homage to the chain's primary product: chicken fingers.

One neon sign read, "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!"

Ordering was a breeze. There were multiple stands that allowed customers to place orders with cashiers.

Since the menu is pretty limited, it doesn't take much time to decide what to order. In addition to the front counter, there were also digital kiosks for ordering.

The restaurant is open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, with an additional hour of service from 1 to 2 a.m. for orders placed at the walk-up window for carryout only.

The dining room featured every kind of seating one could imagine.

There was booth seating, barstools, individual-sized booths for two people, and large tables for groups.

A napkin station also offered ketchup.

I'm a personal fan of the signature Cane's sauce, but it was nice to see that ketchup was so accessible if that's what you prefer.

A large mural apparently inspired by iconic New York City artist Keith Haring took up the main wall of the restaurant.

The black-and-white mural by Timothy Goodman featured New York City icons like a taxi cab, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the phrase, "I dipped it my way," apparently inspired by the iconic Frank Sinatra tune, "My Way."

Another sign paid homage to the New York City subway system.

It once again drove home the brand's slogan, "One love," and referenced the year its first restaurant opened: 1996.

An interactive wall featured digital french fries that moved as you walked past them.

I've certainly never seen anything like this at any fast-food restaurant I've ever visited. 

In the back dining room, another wall featured a mural of New York City.

This dining room featured even more rows of booths and tables where customers could sit and eat. 

Even the tables featured images of New York City.

When it comes to New York, founder Todd Graves wasn't shy about the fact that he wanted to plant a flag and create more brand recognition in the Northeast. 

"Our global flagship marks a monumental moment for Cane's as we continue expanding and creating 'Caniacs' across the world," Graves said in a statement. "And we did it big by planting our flag with an 8,000-square-foot restaurant – the largest within the Times Square 'bow tie.'"

"Our next set of goals is to be a top-10 restaurant company," Graves told members of the press attending the event. "Part of that involves international growth, and what better place to have a restaurant other than right in the bow tie [41st to 47th Street, along Broadway and Seventh Avenue], where millions of people from all over the world come to visit?"

"There's a lot of clout that comes with a flagship in Times Square," he continued. "People who don't even know the concept might say, 'Those chicken fingers look pretty good.' There's something special about it."

As the grand opening came to a close, of course I had to have some of the chain's iconic chicken fingers — and they were just as good as I remembered.

There was a lot of juicy chicken meat inside the tenders, something you don't always find with fast-food chicken tenders.

Though the inside was moist, the outer shell of the chicken tenders had the perfect amount of crispiness and crunch. According to Raising Cane's, each chicken tender is cooked to order — and you have to try them with the signature sauce. 

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