Raising Cane’s eyes Sanford-area site for new Seminole County restaurant

Raising Cane’s is looking at a Sanford-area site for another Seminole County restaurant, a move that would put the Louisiana chicken chain deeper into one of Central Florida’s fastest-growing dining corridors.

The potential project matters because Seminole County has already become part of Raising Cane’s larger Florida rollout. In January 2022, the company said it was targeting at least 12 restaurants in the Orlando area and at least 25 across Florida, and co-CEO and COO AJ Kumaran said the chain had already locked in 25 Florida locations and was actively looking in Central Florida.

That strategy has already shown up on local roads and in local shopping districts. Raising Cane’s opened its first Orlando-area restaurant in November 2023 at 7105 Palm Parkway in the O-Town West development. By February 2025, it had opened its first Seminole County location at 780 E. Altamonte Drive in Altamonte Springs, giving the brand a foothold north of Orlando and east of Interstate 4.

An additional Sanford-area restaurant would extend that reach farther into Seminole County, where new retail and restaurant names often follow the county’s population growth and highway traffic patterns. For nearby residents and commuters, the change would mean another national dining option in a market that is already drawing more chain expansion. For workers, it would likely mean another round of hiring tied to restaurant operations and service jobs.

The company’s Florida locations directory already lists multiple Central Florida cities, including Altamonte Springs, Orlando and Kissimmee, underscoring that the brand’s expansion is not limited to a single corridor. A Sanford-area site would fit that pattern and add another signal that major consumer brands see room to grow in the county.

Any restaurant in Seminole County still would have to clear local review before construction could begin. County site plan approval is required first, followed by a building permit, and Seminole County Development Review Engineering reviews projects for compliance with the county’s engineering manual and land development code. That means the proposal is still moving through the public review process before any building can rise on the site.