Chick-fil-A vs. Raising Cane’s

The ultimate face-off.

After several requests to review “normal” food, I thought, “what’s more normal than chicken nuggets?” And anyone who has ever tried these places (I hope that’s everyone reading this…if not, go get it right now!!!) knows how good they both are. I feel like the only two options for getting fast food chicken are these two places, especially when in Westlake or Central Austin area. So, because of how good they both are and everyone’s passion towards one or the other, I decided to do a little comparing and contrasting to put the debate to rest.

I tried both meals within a couple of days of each other so I wasn’t being biased, and I went through the drive through both times and of course, started eating on the way home, oops…

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I’m not really sure what the best way to format this is, so I’m just gonna compare them each on the main components I use for each review I write: atmosphere, value, and quality.

Atmosphere: ok, I know they are both fast food, but there’s a difference.

Cane’s: really great atmosphere. The food comes out super fast and hot, it’s normally not insanely busy so there’s always a place to sit, there’s cute pictures of dogs everywhere, and the disco ball pushes it over the top.

Chick-fil-A: pretty standard fast food restaurant atmosphere. There’s a playground, so if you’re into that, then that’s cool. I reached the height limit when I was 10 so it’s kind of a negative to me… The people are INSANELY nice though. Idk how much they pay those people, but to stand outside in 100 degree heat with umbrellas tied to their backs to reduce sunburns, while still having a huge smile on their faces is really impressive to me. But a HUGE negative is that they’re closed on Sundays. Basically the only time I crave Chick-fila-A is on Sundays, probably because they’re closed, which is so incredibly frustrating.

Value: because every dollar counts?

I’m gonna be honest on this one, their prices are extremely similar. I think the one big difference comes down to how much you order. If you are starving, you will get much more bang for your buck at Cane’s because the box combo is 4 tenders, fries, coleslaw, toast, and a drink for about $7. A 12 count nugget meal at Chick-fil-A is $7.25, but doesn’t include coleslaw or toast. On the other hand, Chick-fil-A has so many more options. You want soup, bam. You want salad, bam.You want nuggets, bam. You want a shake or ice cream, bam. The options are basically endless (not actually but whatever). Raising Cane’s is only 2 options. You don’t want tenders or a chicken sandwich, I guess you’re not eating, but if that’s what you love, then Cane’s provides a really great combo that’s super cheap and insanely good, so just kinda depends on what you want.

Quality: where the truth comes out.

If I’m being honest, when I first decided to write this blog after eating Cane’s one night, I thought Chick-fil-A would be the obvious winner. How could another fast-food chicken restaurant that only serves tenders and a sandwich win? Quality. Cane’s marinates their chicken for 24 hours before frying, never freezes their chicken, and serving toast with every meal is a game changer. Yes, they lack variety, even on sauces alone they lack variety compared to Chick-fil-A, but their chicken is MUCH better quality. Every time I go to Cane’s I get the same meal, but it’s super consistent. Chick-fil-A is honestly a crapshoot: yes their fries are better, but the most recent time I went, they were cold. I’m not sure what the exact quality of their nuggets are, but most times they’re dry without sauce. It’s a clear winner in my eyes who wins the quality factor, and in combination with my other two factors, it’s a clear winner period.

Besides the obvious lack of variation, Cane’s beats out Chick-fil-A for the best fast-food chicken. Let me know y’all’s thoughts, I’m planning on getting some attacks from Chick-fil-A lovers, but just so you know, I do love my Chick-fil-A sauce and waffle fries (when they’re hot, of course).

-Ari

ps: Chick-fil-A is also homophobic, so more points off for them.