Raising Cane’s has been cooking up a new location in North Wales, and for their grand opening, have also been cooking up their newest combo: a collaboration with North Penn’s Marching Knights and Future Business Leaders of America.
Every Raising Cane’s location has its own nickname, and at restaurant #1031, they dubbed themselves “The Chicken Knights,” after local North Penn High School’s mascot, the Knight; the opening ceremony was fittingly paired with a performance from the school’s marching band, the North Penn Marching Knights.
By 8:30 A.M., the parking lot was not yet filled with cars waiting to get their order, but rather a lineup of North Penn students, dancing while playing their instruments or spinning their flags. The energy brought by the band was matched with rounds of applause from members of the community, whether it be North Penn’s own FBLA, customers awaiting the opening of restaurant doors, or the representatives there for local government members and the chamber of commerce.
While the marching band helped build the excitement during the opening ceremony for the witnessing community, it also gave the Knights good exposure, with a sizable portion of the community there.
“Everyone in town is excited for it to open. I think it helps get more visibility; some more people will see the band, and maybe check it out and get more people to join,” Audrey Nash, a North Penn junior and Marching Knights member said.
The moment was also exciting for the band themselves, with one member, Aidan Brickson, joking that “This is why I joined marching band: to play at Raising Cane’s.”
“It’s crazy that we’re doing this, but it’s fun, it’s great, it’s historic,” Kenny Felton, a North Penn percussionist, added.
Joined by the North Penn Marching Knights was also Future Business Leaders of America, whose member Rudra Dhanani helped to organize the event.
“I’m close with the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (EMCCC) Director, I shadow her at most events. She told me there was an opportunity for us to come into Cane’s, and I connected her with the band, then she told me that FBLA students could come and see how a grand opening works. It all came together. It felt great, and everyone had a good time. It’s a new learning experience for a lot of people who want to go into the business field,” Dhanani said.
Jude Martin-Cianfano, EMCCC’s Executive Director who also took part in the opening ceremony, noted that having North Penn’s band and FBLA was a part of “making sure we had a collaborative event to support each other and help bring [Raising Cane’s] into the community.”
“This shows the community that we are very business-friendly and welcoming of all of the businesses, and it’s a day of celebration to bring everybody together. Raising Cane’s is all about “one love,” and loving the community, and here we are,” Martin-Cianfano said.
After an enthusiastic Marching Knights’ performance – as well as a D.J. set- helped to build the anticipation around the opening, Raising Cane’s hosted a raffle where a “lucky 20” would win free meals for a year, several of the winners being North Penn students. Following that, store leaders gave speeches and special thanks, also explaining traditions kept in the store, such as hanging a construction hat inside to honor the grunt work that Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves had to put in before opening the first location.
While the restaurant is decorated with callbacks to its origin state of Louisiana with details like tiles outside spelling “Raising Cane’s,” reminiscent of New Orleans street names in sidewalks, or traditions like the hard hat, Cane’s also makes an effort to embrace the local community, with touches such as an old edition of The Knight Crier framed on the wall.
Raising Cane’s also announced that they would be making a thousand dollar donation to local charity Manna on Main Street, on brand with their store culture of “working together for the community,” as their website shares.
Finally, around 10:00 A.M. at the moment everyone had been waiting for, oversized scissors in hand and the long, white ribbon ready to be cut at the door, multiple thanks, speeches, and recognitions were given by local representatives, such as Senator Maria Collett and a representative for Steve Malagari, members of the chamber of commerce, such as executive director Martin-Cianfano.
Once the ceremonial ribbon had been cut and cheers erupted, everyone was welcomed inside to place the very first orders at restaurant #1031, or “The Chicken Knights,” as they nicknamed it. The first hundred customers were able to receive a branded beanie, and North Penn students were given free meal coupons for a future visit.
Though Raising Cane’s has made itself known for only having one menu option, a chicken finger, french fry, Texas toast, and coleslaw combo, the restaurant embraces mixing things up when it comes to getting the community involved and together.
