Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers has started construction on two more Jacksonville restaurants, one at 4863 Gate Parkway in The Markets at Town Center and another at 10989 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin Corners. Both projects are in the initial stages, and no opening dates have been announced.
The work extends a Jacksonville push that began when hundreds showed up for the chain's first local restaurant on July 15, 2025, at 8308 Merchants Way in Oakleaf Station. This time, the company is building on former Pollo Tropical sites that had been empty since Pollo Tropical closed its last three Jacksonville locations in February 2025.
At The Markets at Town Center, Raising Cane's is planning a nearly 3,000-square-foot restaurant inside the old Pollo Tropical building. The site will include an outdoor covered patio, a drive-thru lane and a drive-thru canopy. City permits put the buildout at $1.65 million and site work at $1.5 million.
At Mandarin Corners, the chain is starting from scratch after tearing down the old Pollo Tropical building. The new restaurant is planned at 2,770 square feet and will include a drive-thru, outdoor patio seating, a free-standing drive-thru canopy and a dumpster enclosure. A permit estimated demolition of the former building at $50,000.
The pace of that work matters because Raising Cane's is already looking beyond these two locations while saying less about what comes next. A representative said on June 23 that the chain is looking at 9501 Arlington Expressway at the former Regency Square Mall property, but cannot confirm anything at this time. A service availability request for the site showed a proposed 2,786-square-foot restaurant with 75 seats and a two-lane drive-thru on the east side of the mall's main entrance off Atlantic Boulevard.
Raising Cane's, based in Baton Rouge, La., has built a following around hand-battered chicken fingers, Cane's sauce, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and coleslaw made in-house daily. The chain also serves a chicken sandwich made with three chicken fingers. For Jacksonville, the immediate story is simpler: two more restaurants are being built, but the opening dates that would tell diners when to expect them are still not on the board.
