A year after opening its first Jacksonville restaurant to huge crowds, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has started construction on two more area locations.
The popular nationwide chicken tender chain is building out at 4863 Gate Parkway in The Markets at Town Center and at 10989 San Jose Blvd. in the Walmart-anchored Mandarin Corners shopping center. Construction is in the initial stages at both sites.
No target opening dates have been announced for the two new restaurants.
Raising Cane’s is known for its small, focused menu of hand-battered, cooked-to-order fried chicken fingers and signature Cane’s sauce — a secret recipe known only to its managers.
Its combo meals — available with two, three, four, or six chicken fingers — come with crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and coleslaw made in-house daily. A chicken sandwich — made with three chicken fingers — is also available.
Where Raising Cane’s is building new Jacksonville restaurants
Hundreds turned out to welcome Raising Cane’s to Jacksonville as the highly anticipated restaurant debuted July 15, 2025, at 8308 Merchants Way in Oakleaf Station.
Next on Raising Cane’s Northeast Florida expansion menu are the Jacksonville restaurants at the Markets at Town Center and Mandarin Corners, both former Pollo Tropical sites.
Pollo Tropical vacated the spots when the Miami-based chain abruptly closed its last three Jacksonville locations in February 2025.
Details on the Town Center Raising Cane’s location
Raising Cane’s is planning a nearly 3,000-square-foot restaurant at The Markets at Town Center. The former Pollo Tropical building is being renovated and repaired. It will have an outdoor covered patio with a seating area, a drive-thru lane and a drive-thru canopy.
The buildout is estimated at $1.65 million, according to a May 20 city building permit.
The site work for the new restaurant, which is located next to competitor Zaxbys, was estimated at $1.5 million, a separate Jan. 14 city building permit showed.
What to know about the Mandarin Raising Cane’s site
Raising Cane’s is building its Mandarin Corners restaurant from the ground up.
The old Pollo Tropical building was recently torn down to clear the way for the planned 2,770-square-foot Raising Cane’s near the main entrance to the shopping center.
Demolition of the old building was estimated at $50,000, according to a June 2 city building permit.
Estimated at $1.65 million, construction of the new restaurant will include a drive-thru, outdoor patio seating, free-standing drive-thru canopy, and dumpster enclosure, a May 29 building permit showed.
Possible fourth Raising Cane’s restaurant planned in Regency
The Baton Rouge, La.-based quick-service chain is also exploring a potential fourth location at 9501 Arlington Expressway on an outparcel at the former Regency Square Mall property, according to a JEA service availability request.
A Raising Cane’s representative told the Times-Union on June 23 that the restaurant chain is looking at the Regency site, “but cannot confirm anything at this time.”
The availability request showed a proposed 2,786-square-foot restaurant with 75 seats and a two-lane drive-thru on the east side of the mall’s main entrance off Atlantic Boulevard.
Founded in 1996, Raising Cane’s is one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in the nation. It has more than 1,000 restaurants in 43 states, according to the company’s LinkedIn profile.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Two new Raising Cane’s restaurants under construction in Jacksonville
Reporting by Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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By Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
