It's finally happening! Raising Cane's is planning to open locations ITP of Atlanta! Tipped off to the plans months ago but ignored by Raising Cane's representatives, we were interested to see that it was reported today (behind a paywall) by the Atlanta Business Chronicle (ABC) that Raising Cane's plans to open a new location in West Midtown.
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| ToNeTo Atlanta's photo taken September 4 at Krystal West Midtown |
The 14th Street site is adjacent to a Cook Out restaurant which opened in 2014 on the site of a former Wachovia Bank. On the opposite side is a Chick-fil-A which opened in place of a former marketing firm in late 2015. In a sale that occurred January 12, 2016, the 1.02 acre site that houses the 4,500-square foot Chick-fil-A traded for $4.75 million – nearly $1,600 per square foot – with a cap rate of 4.0%. The sale was the highest price per square foot for a single-tenant transaction in Atlanta history at the time, according to CoStar.
Comparatively, a new 2,813 square foot Raising Cane's that opened October 8 and was a ground-up development along Scenic Highway in Snellville closed on October 24 for $3.975 million - over $1,400 per square foot - with a cap rate of 4.91%.
As one might expect, similar to Chick-fil-A, customer appetite for the food and investor appetite for the properties that house Raising Cane's restaurants go hand in hand.
Although not reported by the ABC, sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta and a little research confirms that the West Midtown Krystal and the Buckhead location on Piedmont Road share not only the same owner, but also the same LLC - Buckhead 14th KB, LLC - too. That said, we are told that Raising Cane's plans to take over the Buckhead property as well.
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| ToNeTo Atlanta's photo taken September 11 at Krystal Buckhead |
Krystal's Buckhead restaurant is located at 3037 Piedmont Road - between Pharr Road and Peachtree Road - and is even smaller than the 14th Street site, measuring just .59 acres with a 1,900 square foot restaurant, according to Fulton County records.
Less than a mile from the Buckhead site, Chick-fil-A is planning a new restaurant on the site of property most recently home to David's Bridal. The restaurant, which will not have a drive-thru, was revealed exclusively by ToNeTo Atlanta in June 2023 and after several delays is due to break ground in the coming weeks and open in 2025, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Given the small parcels in both West Midtown and Buckhead, Raising Cane's will likely have to get especially creative with their service model and restaurant design. The West Midtown (and Buckhead?) restaurant(s) are slated to open in spring 2026.
In addition to the aforementioned locations, ToNeTo Atlanta has previously reported that Raising Cane's is also opening new restaurants in Duluth, currently slated to open February 12, and McDonough, currently slated to open in February or March. The Duluth restaurant - 2110 Pleasant Hill Road - replaced a former Steak 'n Shake restaurant, while the McDonough unit - 1842 Jonesboro Road - replaced a former O'Charley's.
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| The "No Cap Map of Atlanta" will likely not survive in West Midtown |
ToNeTo Atlantareported in September that another Raising Cane's is planned for Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw. The Kennesaw restaurant, as well as those planned for Cumming and Conyers, are slated to open in late 2025. The quick-serve chicken chain is also looking to open along Ashford Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody and is actively working with the City of Dunwoody in hopes of getting its plans approved.
Raising Cane's expanded from Athens to include a new unit in Dacula last March. They later debuted their heavily delayed unit on Buford Drive near the Mall of Georgia last August, followed by a restaurant on Highway 92 in Woodstock this past February. As earlier mentioned, the new location on Scenic Highway in Snellville opened October 8.
Are you excited for the planned openings of Raising Cane's in West Midtown and Buckhead? Where else in metro Atlanta would you like to see Raising Cane's open? Who do you think makes the best chicken sandwich in Atlanta?
Please share your thoughts below.