Raising Cane's Opens First North Idaho Location, Drawing Long Lines in Coeur d'Alene

Chicken fingers finally crossed the state line into North Idaho when Raising Cane's opened at 163 W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d'Alene on March 17, drawing sizable crowds and long lines that required municipal officials to plan around the opening day buzz.

The Neider Avenue location is the chain's first restaurant in North Idaho and only the third in Idaho overall. Before the doors opened, anyone in Coeur d'Alene craving Cane's sauce had to drive across state lines to Spokane.

To mark the occasion, the chain offered a year of free Cane's to 20 "caniacs" who showed up for the grand opening, a promotion that almost certainly contributed to the lines stretching outside the building on opening day.

"We're so excited to have Raising Cane's continue its growth in Idaho," Area Leader of Restaurants McWilliam O'Quinn said in a press release. "The energy and support we've seen from local communities across the state has been amazing, and we can't wait to bring that same passion to Coeur d'Alene."

The restaurant hired more than 100 people before opening day, filling positions including cashier, fry cook, restaurant crewmember and customer service associate. "Building a great crew here and becoming part of the local community is something we're really looking forward to," O'Quinn said. Anyone still interested in joining the crew can apply at jobs.raisingcanes.com.

The Neider Avenue opening adds to a stretch of commercial activity along that corridor. A second Jersey Mike's is under development at 201 W. Neider Ave., just steps from Cane's, though no opening date has been announced. Nearby, Crunch Fitness is taking over the former Big Lots space at 101 E. Appleway Ave., and Riverstone has a 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building planned at 1570 W. Tilford Lane, targeted for completion this summer with at least one new dining option in the works.