Construction Delay Pushes Portage’s First Raising Canes to 2026

Bad news for "Caniacs" in Southwest Michigan: you're going to have to wait a little longer for those chicken fingers and Cane’s sauce.

If you've never had the pleasure of trying Raising Cane’s golden fried chicken tenders and buttery Texas toast, I’m actually a little envious because you don’t even know what you’re missing out on!

It was a glorious day when we first got word that popular Southern chicken chain Raising Cane's was finally making its way to Michigan. This is like when Chick-Fil-A announced they were branching out and finally making their way up North; today the company officially counts 28 restaurants statewide.

Could a Raising Cane's takeover be next?

In a February 2024 statement Cane's announced plans to bring 5 restaurants to West Michigan over the next five years, with Portage being one of the first locations to break ground at the corner of Milham and Westnedge. I'll admit, I was sad to see the former Schlotzky's building go, but crews have made great progress-- up until now.

Local News Channel 3 WWMT reports due to construction delays the grand opening celebration of the first Kalamazoo-area Raising Cane's is being pushed back into the new year:

The restaurant chain broke ground back in June, with a scheduled opening of this year, however, a Raising Cane's spokesperson said their new grand opening date is now pushed back to sometime in January 2026. They were not able to provide a reason for the delay, however, News Channel 3 has reached out to the property management company for additional insight. - WWMT

Currently the Raising Cane's website lists open locations in Ann Arbor, Canton, East Lansing, with Kentwood "coming soon".