Fast-food workers are struggling to afford to eat the meals they serve, according to a new report.
Fast-growing chicken chain Raising Cane’s is expanding coast to coast, with seven new restaurants slated to open next month as it pushes forward with its goal of hitting 1,000 locations by the end of the year.
The company said some of the September openings are located near major universities, underscoring what the company says is its “strong connection to college communities” that started nearly three decades ago.
Two locations will open in San Diego and Santa Fe Springs, California, with additional openings in New York City; Indianapolis; Spokane, Washington; Bel Air, Maryland; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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They will be just blocks from Columbia University, across the street from Barnard College and a short walk from the Manhattan School of Music. In San Diego, the new location will only be a few miles from the University of San Diego, while the Santa Fe Springs restaurant will be near Cerritos College.
A pedestrian walks by a Raising Cane’s restaurant in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)
In Spokane, Washington, the restaurant will be just over a mile from Gonzaga University. Meanwhile, the Bel Air, Maryland, location is surrounded by higher education, with 36 colleges located within a 30-mile radius.
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Customers place an order at a Raising Cane’s restaurant. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The location in Ann Arbor is steps from the University of Michigan’s downtown campus and, in Indianapolis, it’s close to several institutions, including the Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis.
The company opened 118 restaurants in 2024, including over a dozen in the first month of the year. The company made it clear on its website that it has no plans to stop either.
Raising Cane’s has well over 800 chicken finger locations across the U.S., according to its website.
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Raising Cane’s sells chicken meals to customers nationwide. (Raising Canes / Fox News)
The company told FOX Business in June that at any given time, it has about 300 restaurants at various stages in its development pipeline and is “continually evaluating sites all over the world to achieve our goal of operating 1,600-plus restaurants and becoming a Top 10 US Restaurant Brand.”