Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Dozens of community members gathered Tuesday morning to celebrate the grand opening of Jonesboro’s first Raising Cane’s.

The celebration included drawings for a giveaway of free Raising Cane’s for a year for 20 customers, a check presentation to the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society, and performances from the Jonesboro Public Schools high school drumline and cheer team.

“The community response has been phenomenal. People are driving by, asking when we’re opening. We’ve had hundreds of calls, ‘When are you opening?’ so, I know that Jonesboro was definitely ready for us to plant some roots here,” said Cody Fessel, area leader of restaurants for Raising Cane’s.

Prior to the grand opening, the restaurant hired 130 staff members who had spent the past week in training.

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When it first announced the grand opening date, the restaurant said it would be partnering with area schools, sports teams, and nonprofits for giveback and sponsorship opportunities. Fessel told JRN that the restaurant was working to finalize its first community involvement opportunities.

People gathered indoors celebrating, waving long white Canes noise makers as pink pom-poms burst around a smiling man in a plaid shirt at the center
Crowd of staff and guests at a Cane's restaurant opening, cheering behind a red ribbon outside a brick building with cane's branding.
People outside a store present a large donation check to NEA Humane Society; balloons and dogs nearby.
Cheerleaders in black and white uniforms performing in a line on a sunny street, holding gold and black pom-poms.
Group of people in red shirts cheering with red, white, and yellow pom-poms at an outdoor pep rally.
Group of people running toward the camera at an outdoor event, some waving colorful pom-poms in celebration.

“We haven’t cemented them, but we spoke to a couple of the public parks that do community programming through the summer, to see how we can get involved in those, whether it’s providing catered lunches, whether it’s doing fundraisers,” Fessel said. “Once we have those on the books, a couple of weeks from now, we’ll be in a spot to start allowing those things to happen.”

Michael John Rickert was the first person in line, having been waiting since 6 a.m. the previous day. Rickert said he, along with some of his family and friends, had set up in the nearby Lowe’s parking lot before moving to the front of the restaurant.

“I told my dad I would do this if we ever got a Cane’s in Jonesboro, and then we did,” he said. “I love Cane’s.”

Rickert was among the 20 customers who won free Raising Cane’s for a year.

Rickert, the first customer in line, is greeted by Raising Cane’s employees as he enters the restaurant. (Photo by Rachel Rudd)

In addition, the restaurant presented the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society with a check for $1,500, and the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting.

Jonesboro Right Now first reported that a Raising Cane’s was coming to Jonesboro in September 2025. Site work began in November 2025, and the restaurant announced the grand opening date in April.

Raising Cane’s operates over 1,000 restaurants across 40 states. Its menu consists of chicken-finger meals, including chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, toast, and Cane’s Sauce.

The restaurant is located at 2511 E. Highland Drive. Its hours are 10 a.m. through 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

“We are just pumped up to be here,” Fessel said. “The crew is excited; they’ve been training for the last week, really, really intensively, to make sure that we can handle everything. We’re ready to go.”

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