Raising Cane's, a national chain best known for its chicken fingers and sauces, is expanding in the Western New York market place by taking over a former Red Lobster building in Amherst.
As a prelude to Raising Cane's opening later this spring, Kasada LLC paid $2.5 million for the former Red Lobster site at 4010 Maple Road.
It is opening just across Maple Road from 7Brews that made its local debut last fall.
Founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, the chain has more than 900 locations spread across 40 states.
The chain is considering other local sites including ones in Niagara Falls, Cheektowaga and Lockport.
The 8,321-square-foot Maple Road building - constructed in 1981 - has been vacant since the Red Lobster site closed in May 2024 as the national seafood chain retrenched and adjusted its overall operational strategy.
Several national and local restaurant chains toured the building but Raising Cane's stepped forward with the offer in mid-January.
Raising Cane's culinary forte is chicken fingers, fries and a wide variety of sauces.
The chain is named after founder Todd Graves' yellow lab Raising Cane.
Raising Cane's has shifted its headquarters from Baton Rouge to the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas.
National chain expanding into Western New York market
National chain expanding into Western New York market
