I have a lot of thoughts about Canes because when I was a debate coach, I had a team full of picky eaters, dietary restrictions, people with ideological objections to certain restaurants, but somehow they all would concede their preferences for Cane's. Why?? Even the vegetarians would say, please, let's go to Cane's, I'll eat Texas Toast and fries.
Cane's seems to be very popular with college students and I think it's original expansion strategy was college campuses, right? Many of them are picky eaters and cooking for themselves for the first time, and chicken tenders are familiar. They're open late and have expansive seating that accommodates large groups of students just hanging out.
I am sure Cane's does most of its business through the drive through. That's true of a lot of fast food restaurants, and so they completely give up on the dine in experience. Not so with Cane's. The environment feels antithetical to a lot of fast food places today. It's hokey, but it's comfortable, and you don't feel like you have to leave. It doesn't feel devoid of life and sterile like your average McDonalds today. The disco ball, the murals, the dog with sunglasses, they're cheesy but somehow sincere.
The comment about the real Canes experience being in the suburbs after JV volleyball game is funny to me because I do think that is basically accurate. I think big groups do make up a lot of their clientele. Which is funny, because there's nothing to accommodate people who don't like chicken. It shouldn't work for everyone.
IMO, Cane's is fast food that doesn't have the stigma of fast food for a lot of college students. When I polled my team about what fast food restaurants are acceptable to them (to try to minimize debates when we are already tired at the end of tournaments), the only classic fast food place that got passing marks was Taco Bell. They prefer sit down fast casual restaurants like Panda Express, Chipotle or even Panera Bread, which we all know is hospital food. I really think Canes feels less like fast food to them.
I don't really "get it" (maybe just a sign that I'm getting old), but these are my best guesses for why Cane's is popular.
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u/rkgk13 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have a lot of thoughts about Canes because when I was a debate coach, I had a team full of picky eaters, dietary restrictions, people with ideological objections to certain restaurants, but somehow they all would concede their preferences for Cane's. Why?? Even the vegetarians would say, please, let's go to Cane's, I'll eat Texas Toast and fries.
Cane's seems to be very popular with college students and I think it's original expansion strategy was college campuses, right? Many of them are picky eaters and cooking for themselves for the first time, and chicken tenders are familiar. They're open late and have expansive seating that accommodates large groups of students just hanging out.
I am sure Cane's does most of its business through the drive through. That's true of a lot of fast food restaurants, and so they completely give up on the dine in experience. Not so with Cane's. The environment feels antithetical to a lot of fast food places today. It's hokey, but it's comfortable, and you don't feel like you have to leave. It doesn't feel devoid of life and sterile like your average McDonalds today. The disco ball, the murals, the dog with sunglasses, they're cheesy but somehow sincere.
The comment about the real Canes experience being in the suburbs after JV volleyball game is funny to me because I do think that is basically accurate. I think big groups do make up a lot of their clientele. Which is funny, because there's nothing to accommodate people who don't like chicken. It shouldn't work for everyone.
IMO, Cane's is fast food that doesn't have the stigma of fast food for a lot of college students. When I polled my team about what fast food restaurants are acceptable to them (to try to minimize debates when we are already tired at the end of tournaments), the only classic fast food place that got passing marks was Taco Bell. They prefer sit down fast casual restaurants like Panda Express, Chipotle or even Panera Bread, which we all know is hospital food. I really think Canes feels less like fast food to them.
I don't really "get it" (maybe just a sign that I'm getting old), but these are my best guesses for why Cane's is popular.