The East Coast has historically been starved of certain West Coast classics like In-N-Out Burger, Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles and Raising Cane’s. The bread, the chicken and the iconic Cane’s sauce— people in the East can only dream of having in their lifetime. This, however, has slowly started to change, and the East Coast has started to gain a large boost of these once chain restaurants, getting its own Raising Cane’s.
In January, Washington, D.C. landed its first Raising Cane’s at Union Station. While this excites many in the greater Washington, DC area, this is huge for Gonzaga whose upperclassmen frequently eat lunch at Union Station. Many upperclassmen flocked to Union Station on Jan. 9, and many underclassmen yearned for the same privilege.
“Cane’s is a great addition to the already vibrant Union Station culinary scene,” said Sammy Diaz ‘24.
The place was packed. The line was not only out the door, but it also wrapped around the corner, all the way past the DJ stand that they had set up. Music blasted while a bouncer stood at the front door motioning in groups of people at a time. Inside, Fox 5 News was interviewing a local social media influencer, Biking DC.
“I think it’s a really good addition to have in Union Station,” said Jak Krivka ‘25.
Students went back to Gonzaga with their bags of food in hand and Raising Cane’s hats on, which they received for being one of the first 200 people at the restaurant, while the first 20 received free Cane’s for a year.
Virginia has the most locations that Raising Cane’s has in the DMV, boasting nine; Maryland has three, and now that D.C. has one, that makes up 13 locations in the areas where most Gonzaga students and teachers live. Since the opening of the Sterling, Va. location, the DMV community has craved more Cane’s. People order the sauce in full cups because of how sought after it is.
Union Station is focused on the future, with an estimated $10 billion renovation set to undergo and be completed by 2040. This was one of the first steps of the new Union, following the Halal Guys restaurant that opened in November on the lower floor. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, Raising Cane’s has gathered thousands of commuters going in and out of Union Station.