All fast food chains were not created equal. So when you want succulent chicken quickly, inexpensively, and flavorfully, you need to be sure which eatery to head to. Your taste buds may crave other choices like a hearty, healthy salad or a whopping order of crispy crinkle-cut fries. Where should you go?
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We decided to compare two well-known chains - Raising Cane's vs. Chick-fil-A - considering things like price, locations, and menu options. Then you can make up your own mind which establishment appeals to you the most for Cane's tenders or Chick-fil-A's nuggets, for example.
It's understood that what one consumer finds delicious another might not care for as much. For that reason, we tried to keep the focus on facts and objective standards like menu options and price comparisons.
Now that we did all the legwork, you can just concentrate on pleasing your palate!
Who Has The Most Variety?
We Checked Out The Choices
Let's start with Chick-fil-A. A glance at their online menu shows plenty of choices. There are 15 options for breakfast, 11 entrees, 3 meal-sized salads, 9 sides, 3 kids' meals, 11 treats ranging from milkshakes to cookies to brownies, 18 beverages such as coffee, orange juice, water, and lemonade, 15 Chick-fil-A sauce and dressings. (Their website states that the availability of products may differ from location to location.)
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At Raising Cane's, the emphasis is definitely on chicken. Big time. There are five different combos that include a variety of items. For example, the Box Combo packs four chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, one Cane's sauce, Texas toast, coleslaw, and a fountain drink or tea. The Tailgates have your choice of 25, 50, 75 or 100 chicken fingers plus sauce. The Extras are items like Texas toast and coleslaw. Eight beverage options are available such as sweet tea, lemonade, and a fountain drink.
Location, Location, Location!
Is There A Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane's Near You?
Chances are that there is a Chick-fil-A near you. They have 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada. Keep in mind that they are closed on Sunday!
According to their LinkedIn page, Raising Cane's "has over 700 restaurants in 37 states, with many new restaurants under construction."
We Want You To Get The Maximum Bang For Your Bucks!
Where Will You Get The Best Value For Your Money?
You probably consider price as a key factor in where you choose to eat or get takeout. There may be times when you want to splurge a little and spend a few extra bucks, and other occasions when you need to rein in the cost, especially if you have a big family.
So we asked an important question - is Cane's or Chick-fil-A cheaper? We scoped out their menus to see.
Let's check out Cane's first. They charge $10.99 for their Box Combo, which is described above. The Caniac Combo has six chicken fingers, fries, two Cane's sauces, Texas toast, coleslaw, plus a 32 ounce fountain drink or tea for $15.99. A sandwich is $7.49. The 25-finger Tailgate option will set you back $39.99, a side order of coleslaw is $1.36, an order of fries is $2.26, a regular-size lemonade is $2.49, a large one is $2.99.
Now Chick-fil-A. Prices may change or vary according to deals, promotions, and region. A meal includes waffle potato fries, tea or a soft drink. A chicken sandwich costs $7.55 for a meal, $4.19 for the entrée. The grilled chicken sandwich is $9.09 for the meal, $5.59 for the entrée. For nugget fans, you get eight for $7.59 for the meal, $4.25 for the entrée. With 12 nuggets, it's $9.29 per meal, $5.95 entrée. The grilled chicken club sandwich with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and Colby-Jack cheese sets you back $10.69 for the meal and $7.19 for the entrée. Waffle potato fries cost $2.09 for a medium size order, $2.35 for the large. A side salad is $3.69. Lemonade is $2.29 for the medium, $2.69 for the large.
What Do People Say About These Two Fast-Food Chains?
Their Comments Range Widely
From Chick-fil-A's Facebook page came this appreciative comment: "I just tried this grilled chicken sandwich, and it was amazing!! Probably the best grilled chicken sandwich ever!!!"
This opinion was voiced: "Nothing special about the sandwich I've tried it. MY objective opinion is that it's your regular chicken sandwich grilled from Chick-fil-A only thing different is that it's extremely sweet and I don't taste any spicy."
Yet another customer happily wrote, "We love Chick-fil-A..."
Here's one thumbs-down: "A sweet chicken sandwich? Maple bun? That sounds just terrible. Who came up with that?"
Now for Raising Cane's reviews. One Raising Cane's Facebook review went like this: "raising cane is one of my best favorite restaurant in the world. i loved chicken fingers. fries. cole slaw. special sauce. texas bread & soft drinks."
"New sauces please," was a diner's request.
"My Cane's is worth the hour and half drive to StLouis.," said a pleased customer.
How About The Drive Thru Experience At Each Chain?
One Is Said By Some To Be Slower Than The Other
Drive-thrus are meant to be a quick and fuss-free way to grab and go when you want an order of food without leaving your vehicle. Simple, right? Judging by the remarks on Yelp about Raising Cane's drive-thru, you are better off just going inside for your order. People had some gripes about sluggish service.
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By contrast, Chick-fil-A got high marks for their efficiency at the drive-thru. From Reddit: "Chick fil a drive-thrus are literally known for their speed. Look at the menu on your phone before you get in line." And from somebody else: "I have eaten a lot of fast food over my 40 years on Earth. Whatever CFA does works better than any other place. CFA is a lot faster than McDonalds, Wendys, etc."
Drum Roll, Please...How Great Is The Food At Each?
It Seems Like Chick-fil-A Has An Edge
Business Insider had a writer check out both places and the verdict was that, "Overall, when you consider the chicken, sauce, french fries, customer service, wait time, presentation, and menu variety, the chain with the most wins is Chick-fil-A ..."
The News Record, the University of Cincinnati student newspaper agrees, stating, "...[W}hen someone asks me where the best place is to get chicken, I always say Chick-fil-A."
A Reddit commenter weighed in with this: "Chick-Fil-a hands down has the best flavor, and their sauces have a ton of flavor."
No doubt both places have their unique virtues. And both have their die-hard fans. So next time you yearn for tasty munchies, you can take your pick between these two chicken-celebrating eateries!
