Raising Cane's is set to open a location on the corner of Franklin Street and Columbia Street at 101 E. Franklin St. this spring.
Raising Cane's Public Relations Director Julia Doyle said in an email that Raising Cane’s purchased the location in late 2021, with construction efforts beginning in April 2022.
Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Director of Marketing Stephanie Cobert said Raising Cane's is still working through permitting and remodeling.
Cobert added that there is not a finalized opening date yet, but Doyle said the date will be specified as more progress on construction is made.
Remodeling work on the 8,638 square-foot building, including electrical, mechanical and plumbing changes, is expected to cost up to $2 million, according to the commercial permit filed with the Town of Chapel Hill.
Doyle said the restaurant opening will create more than 150 jobs in the Chapel Hill area. She added that the building will be a two-story restaurant with seating for more than 100 customers.
The restaurant is expected to operate from 9 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. daily. The location will also offer outside dining, but will not have a drive-thru, as new drive-thru windows on much of Franklin Street throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro became more heavily regulated in 1998. The Town of Chapel Hill began encouraging sidewalk dining in June 2020 to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and provide safe alternatives to indoor dining.
Doyle added that even though the restaurant will not have a drive-thru, it is expected to be busy given the location in downtown Chapel Hill. She said the spot, with high foot traffic from locals, visitors and UNC students, will be the perfect spot for a Raising Cane’s.
“That spot is pretty much the gateway to downtown,” Cobert said. “It’s that legendary spot that everyone sees and thinks of when they think of Franklin Street, that corner of Franklin and Columbia.”
