Construction of a single-story standalone restaurant is nearing completion at 564 West Taylor Street in the West Loop. The corner site will be the newest Chicago location of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, the fast-serve chain based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This property had been vacant for several years following the demolition of a deteriorated one-story masonry building.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The City of Chicago issued a new construction permit on June 5 of this year for the restaurant. There will be a surface parking lot with curb cuts on Jefferson Street and Taylor Street, as well as a pair of drive-thru lanes. “Cane’s 861” as the website dubs it, is “Coming Soon,” though no specific date is mentioned. This is one of more than 100 projects designed by ADA Architects of Cleveland, Ohio for Raising Cane’s franchises.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
In addition to the construction permit, nearly a dozen permits have been issued for branded signage for the restaurant, including menu boards for the two drive-thru lanes.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The previous building, at 921 South Jefferson Street, was permitted for demolition twice: once in June of 2016, and then again in May of 2018. It was torn down shortly thereafter.
Pre-demolition view of Jefferson & Taylor Streets. Photo via Building Up Chicago
Northeast corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets, July 2016. Photo via Building Up Chicago
Photo via Building Up Chicago
Looking southeast from Jefferson Street. Photo via Building Up Chicago
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Love Raising Canes but what a complete waste of a lot. I know this specific area isn’t really that built up but we gotta start somewhere. Especially being so close to downtown.
Why is this city allowing drive-thru anything?? This really stinks!!
Absolute YUCK. A drive through that close to downtown is laughable. And why not build some type of midrise with the bottom portion exclusive to Raising Canes. I guess developers want nothing to do with this pocket? Fair, but disappointing.
I mean this quite literally, but drive-thrus should be made illegal under zoning code for alls parts of the city that clearly aren’t suburban in nature. It’s a safety concern, it’s a tax revenue concern (super wasteful use of a central urban property). No more suburbs in the city, full stop.
A Raising Cane within a block of Portillo’s and Chic-fil-A all with drive thrus. Wow what an area.
Raising Cane’s as an entity is terrible, I just don’t get it. I like chicken fingers but theirs are average at best, their main sauce is disgusting, and they don’t even offer BBQ/ranch/buffalo etc. Sorry but I’m going full NIABY on this one: not in anyone’s backyard.
Like… why can’t they season their chicken. It’s just bland chicken. Walmart can do better…
This is the 28th ward. Alderman is Jason Ervin.
Alderman Ervin is a waste-he does not know what makes a neighborhood – we had him as our alderman a few years ago before this area of the west loop was once again redrawn. He is totally in the Mayors pocket now.
lame
I don’t care for drive-throughs either, but this is just a reflection of a market reality. This isn’t a walkable neighborhood and, apparently, the return on investment is greater to provide auto-oriented services rather than density. The developer is just responding to the neighborhood. Still better than a vacant lot.