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Raising Cane’s is coming to Tampa Bay.
The Louisiana-based fast food chain bought a site in Clearwater for $4.5 million, according to county records. The site is the former Village Inn at 2525 Gulf to Bay Blvd.
The franchise — known for its tangy Cane’s sauce, Texas toast and chicken fingers — confirmed it’s coming to Clearwater with plans to open in 2023, according to an emailed statement to the Tampa Bay Times.
“We are still in the planning stages and hope to make an announcement soon on our first restaurant,” officials said in a statement.
Clearwater is already a popular chicken tender destination, with KFC, Church’s Chicken, Hooters, Tampa-based PDQ and a Chick-fil-A across the street from the future Raising Cane’s location.
Raising Cane’s, headquartered in Baton Rouge and founded in 1996, announced its plans to expand across Florida last year with its first location opening in Miami’s South Beach in February. The company is currently hiring for positions in Miami, Pompano Beach, Royal Palm Beach and Orlando, according to its website.
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