OAKLEAF — Popular fast-food chain Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers made its debut at Oakleaf Station with the help of music and a large crowd on Tuesday. 

Around 400 "Caniacs" lined the walls and scattered the parking lot at 8308 Merchants Way, waiting to get a taste of what the new restaurant had to offer. 

The first 100 dine-in customers to purchase any combo meal received a free hat and box combo card, while a raffle saw 20 lucky patrons walk away with a year's worth of free Cane's. 

"We've been waiting for a long time, a long time, myself included," said Restaurant Leader Jeremy Hayes, as he addressed the anxious crowd. "We had to push the opening back, but we're finally here."

The restaurant is located at 8308 Merchants Way.

STAFF PHOTOS BY KYLA WOODARD

Raising Cane's was founded by Todd Graves back in 1996.

At 24 years old, Graves grew the small campus staple at Louisiana State University into one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in the U.S, according to their website.

Known for its "craveable chicken finger meals" and special "Cane's Sauce," everything is cooked to order and made fresh daily. 

 Graves first crafted his "limited menu" business plan back in college, to which his professor said would never work. To prove him wrong, Graves raised the money to open his restaurant by becoming a boilermaker and commercial fisherman.

There are more than 800 locations in the United States, with 22 in Florida. The Oakleaf opening marks the first in Northeast Florida.

With every restaurant earning its nickname, Hayes said the name for theirs is "Jaggers and Daggers", representing the Jacksonville Jaguars and the shape of their chicken fingers.  

"Our perfect chicken finger looks like a dagger when we pull it out...you'll see plenty of those today," Hayes said.

Restaurant Leader Jeremy Hayes (right) said customers can expect great service, great food and great culture.

STAFF PHOTOS BY KYLA WOODARD

Active in its community partnerships and involvement, Raising Cane's has supported more than 30,000 local organizations. Hayes said the business has donated more than $25 million to every community it has been a part of. 

"We’re excited to continue our growth in Florida with the opening of our first Restaurant in Jacksonville. I've wanted to open here for many years and am excited the time has come," Graves said. "We’ve celebrated many milestones with communities across the state of Florida – whether it be the Panthers’ Stanley Cup wins with Sam Reinhart in 2025 or Matthew Tkachuk in 2024 or with Tyler Herro and Mac McClung following winning performances at NBA All-Star Weekend – Cane’s is there. We’re looking forward to bringing that same energy and excitement to our grand opening in Jacksonville and look forward to serving the community and customers for years to come.”

For the future of the restaurant, Hayes said customers can expect excellent service, great food and great culture. 

"We have bold fingers [and] we have bold energy. As you can see, we have bold people that stand behind our product," Hayes said. "So, we want to make sure that we translate that for the community."