OT: Zaxby's vs Raising Canes

[18IsTheMan]

We don't have Zaxby's anywhere up where I am in the DC area, but I usually make a point of going there whenever I'm back down in SC. Last few times I've been, though, has been disappointing. The ones I've been to in Myrtle Beach and the Greenville area seemed to be slipping in quality and cleanliness. The restaurants felt dingy and the food looked hastily prepared. Honestly, the last 2 or 3 times I've been has been simply b/c it used to be really good.

We did get a Raising Canes not too far from us last year and I finally made it over there last week. I was quite surprised! I remember the first time I saw one in SC and I scoffed at it as a Zaxby's wannabe that would never make it. I liked the simplicity of the menu. Basically you decide how many chicken fingers you want. That's all they do. Chicken fingers, fries and slaw. With that, it seems they are able to have a laser focus on quality. The chicken tenders were...sorry for the pun...super tender, moist and juicy. It made Zaxby's seem overcooked in comparison. Food was also PIPING hot and had obviously not been sitting under a heat lamp.

All-in-all, I was impressed and I would choose Canes over Zaxby's now (which is something I never thought I'd say).

 

[Prestonyte]

Zaxby's has gone downhill but was never one of my favorites. We do not yet have Raising Canes in Greenville but I have eaten there in Charleston and other places and found it to be quite good.
We have Habit Burger (a California IN-n-Out competitor) opening soon in the Greenville area which I'm looking forward to trying. Not sure why Raising Canes has not made it to Greenville.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Zaxby's has gone downhill but was never one of my favorites. We do not yet have Raising Canes in Greenville but I have eaten there in Charleston and other places and found it to be quite good.
We have Habit Burger (a California IN-n-Out competitor) opening soon in the Greenville area which I'm looking forward to trying. Not sure why Raising Canes has not made it to Greenville.

I think Habit Burger is quite good and prefer it to Five Guys. Pretty simple menu

 

[Stardust710]

Eww. Hope this helps.

 

[Fried Chicken]

Canes needs more sauces. They are very similar. Canes benefiting from being new…but their sauce options are pitiful.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Canes needs more sauces. They are very similar. Canes benefiting from being new…but their sauce options are pitiful.

Flavor-wise, yes, very similar to Zaxby's. Quality-wise, it's not close.

Their narrow focus and simplicity seems to include their sauces. Too many times restaurants start to branch out and end up doing more things with less quality.

 

[Fried Chicken]

Flavor-wise, yes, very similar to Zaxby's. Quality-wise, it's not close.

Their narrow focus and simplicity seems to include their sauces. Too many times restaurants start to branch out and end up doing more things with less quality.

That’s the benefit of being new. Zaxby’s quality was much better back in the day and over time their quality dropped. They used to batter their fingers in house and now they freeze and ship to stores.

Cane’s quality over time will drop as well. It happens to every fast food joint. Right now it’s very fresh and they give a ton of food. But over time they’ll cut costs.

I like simplicity. But still have to have more than Canes Sauce and Ketchup. In time, I guarantee you they will.

I enjoy them both, as well as Huey Magoos.

 

[18IsTheMan]

That’s the benefit of being new. Zaxby’s quality was much better and over time their quality dropped. They used to batter their fingers in house and now they freeze.

Cane’s quality over time will drop as well. It happens to every fast food joint. Right now it’s very fresh and they give a ton of food. But over time they’ll cut costs.

I like simplicity. But still have to have more than Canes Sauce and Ketchup. In time, I guarantee you they will.

Ehh, Zaxby's started in 1990. Canes started in 1996. Not really much of a difference there.

Was not aware Zax used frozen fingers now! Blah.

That may be where Canes limited menu plays to their advantage. ALL they do is chicken fingers. No wings, sandwiches, cheese curds, grilled cheeses, etc. It should be simple enough for them to maintain their quality with doing just one thing. I think the limited menu is the key to quality. There's a reason places like Applebee's suck. You can't possibly have that broad of a menu and do things well.

Chick-fil-a has fairly well been able to maintain quality, so it's not a certainty that quality must decline over time. Though I will never forgive them for dropping slaw.

That said, I've been to Canes one time in my life. I'm not a Canes disciple. Was just surprised how much better it was.

 

[Prestonyte]

That’s the benefit of being new. Zaxby’s quality was much better back in the day and over time their quality dropped. They used to batter their fingers in house and now they freeze and ship to stores.

Cane’s quality over time will drop as well. It happens to every fast food joint. Right now it’s very fresh and they give a ton of food. But over time they’ll cut costs.

I like simplicity. But still have to have more than Canes Sauce and Ketchup. In time, I guarantee you they will.

I enjoy them both, as well as Huey Magoos.

Yes, Huey Magoos is quite good.
Chick-fil-a has maintained good quality but price has gone up like everyone else.
Most chains seem to have staffing problems - but not CFA and Culver's, which leads to poor quality and service.

 

[Fried Chicken]

Ehh, Zaxby's started in 1990. Canes started in 1996. Not really much of a difference there.

Was not aware Zax used frozen fingers now! Blah.

That may be where Canes limited menu plays to their advantage. ALL they do is chicken fingers. No wings, sandwiches, cheese curds, grilled cheeses, etc. It should be simple enough for them to maintain their quality with doing just one thing. I think the limited menu is the key to quality. There's a reason places like Applebee's suck. You can't possibly have that broad of a menu and do things well.

Chick-fil-a has fairly well been able to maintain quality, so it's not a certainty that quality must decline over time. Though I will never forgive them for dropping slaw.

That said, I've been to Canes one time in my life. I'm not a Canes disciple. Was just surprised how much better it was.

Chick-fil-A’s quality is WAY down. It still good though. But just remember the mall Chick-fil-A. No comparison to now. It was so much better back in the day, before they created individual stores.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Chick-fil-A’s quality is WAY down. It still good though. But just remember the mall Chick-fil-A. No comparison to now. It was so much better back in the day, before they created individual stores.

Ha, I recall those days, but we was too poor back then!

 

[Fried Chicken]

Ha, I recall those days, but we was too poor back then!

Could even partake in the free sample nuggets. Those things were sweet! Literally sweet. Like candy!

 

[Slim Chickens Gamecock]

You'll have to try Slim Chickens. There is one on Garnes Ferry Rd. Great concept.

 

[ClassOf95]

My sister visited us in TX, she lives near Myrtle Beach. She wanted something like Zaxby's and I said, we really like Raising Cane's. She said, okay, I'll try it. When we went to order in the drive thru, she said, "they only have chicken tenders? no salads or sandwiches?" I naively forgot, b/c I'm happy with the tenders.

Zaxby's near us in central TX closed sometime during the past year. I liked their food, sometimes the drive thru took a very long time.

 

[Johnnysurf]

You'll have to try Slim Chickens. There is one on Garnes Ferry Rd. Great concept.

One is opening on beltline next to ace hardware

 

[Uscg1984]

We don't have Zaxby's anywhere up where I am in the DC area, but I usually make a point of going there whenever I'm back down in SC. Last few times I've been, though, has been disappointing. The ones I've been to in Myrtle Beach and the Greenville area seemed to be slipping in quality and cleanliness. The restaurants felt dingy and the food looked hastily prepared. Honestly, the last 2 or 3 times I've been has been simply b/c it used to be really good.

We did get a Raising Canes not too far from us last year and I finally made it over there last week. I was quite surprised! I remember the first time I saw one in SC and I scoffed at it as a Zaxby's wannabe that would never make it. I liked the simplicity of the menu. Basically you decide how many chicken fingers you want. That's all they do. Chicken fingers, fries and slaw. With that, it seems they are able to have a laser focus on quality. The chicken tenders were...sorry for the pun...super tender, moist and juicy. It made Zaxby's seem overcooked in comparison. Food was also PIPING hot and had obviously not been sitting under a heat lamp.

All-in-all, I was impressed and I would choose Canes over Zaxby's now (which is something I never thought I'd say).

Winchester, VA got a Zaxby's during the last year we lived in that area (2017). After having living away from a Zaxby's for about 9 years, I didn't notice if the quality had diminished since I moved from SC. Judging by the lines out the door and around the parking lot, nobody else seemed to notice a decline either. haha.

We get Raising Cane's whenever we travel to Louisiana to see my wife's people. I'd say I like them both about the same.

Living where I do now, I'd love to have any of the 3 somewhere within an hour's drive (CFA, RC, or Zax).

 

[mickray]

Eat at home. Eat healthier and lose pounds.

 

[stormtrooper2001]

Just like anything else.. they court you with their best and once you are married to them they let themselves go. A lot of products start as quality as a differentiator vs the more established McDonadls, Burger King but once they grow and establish themselves they get a little hubris and everything laxes and quality suffers or they sell to new owners and the same thing happens. I love Rasin Canes too but it will probably happen to them as well. Enjoy the newcomers while the passion of the founders drives quality and accountability.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Just like anything else.. they court you with their best and once you are married to them they let themselves go. A lot of products start as quality as a differentiator vs the more established McDonadls, Burger King but once they grow and establish themselves they get a little hubris and everything laxes and quality suffers or they sell to new owners and the same thing happens. I love Rasin Canes too but it will probably happen to them as well. Enjoy the newcomers while the passion of the founders drives quality and accountability.

It's true that it does tend to happen. It also happens as a restaurant expands in number. For now, at least, Cane's seems to be content with slow growth and a very limited menu. both which work in their favor for quality. From what I could tell, Cane's had 4 things on their menu: chicken fingers (which could be had in sandwich form), fries, Texas toast and slaw. Zaxby's has chicken fingers, fried chicken sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, wings, boneless wings, fried pickles, salads, fried cheese bites, cookies, funnel cake with caramel sauce. The big advantage for Cane's is that you only have to train your employees to cook 2 things: chicken fingers and fries. It naturally follows, the more things you do, quality decreases. I'd rather go to a restaurant with a limited menu of quality items than an Applebee's with a huge menu of mediocre (or worse) food items.

The quality of the chicken fingers just blew Zaxby's out of the water, in my opinion. Which, frankly, it should since fingers is all Cane's does.