LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — The Lehigh Valley is getting another chicken-centered fast food chain, but not without celebration.
Tuesday, Aug. 6, marks opening day for the area's first Raising Cane's restaurant at 6240 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie. It's the 11th such store to come to the state, with the next nearest one around 40 miles away in Willow Grove, Pa.
Doors will officially open at 10 a.m.
According to a news release from Raising Cane's, opening day celebrations will include:
- A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce;
- A "Lucky 20" drawing for customers 13 and older. Customers can enter from 8 to 9 a.m. to win free Raising Cane's for a year. Customers must be present to win;
- A DJ;
- Appearance from IronPigs mascot FeFe;
- A hat and card for a free box combo for the first 100 customers upon their next visit;
- A check presentation to Lehigh Valley Humane Society.
The store will operate from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Monday served as the chain's invite-only soft opening in the Lehigh Valley, which Regional Vice President Warren Sewell said Raising Cane's prefers to call "VIC Day" for "Very Important Customers."
"We've been waiting forever!"Aubrey Remaley
Walking in from the Movie Tavern parking lot, Aubrey Remaley said "We've been waiting forever!" as she showed employees her invitation.
Customers filtered through the restaurant, allowing employees a practice-run of daily service and giving local customers their first bite.
Dennis Begley and Gunnar Fox laughed inside, saying they unknowingly were the first customers for the area.
"It was great," they both said.
Sydney Ph, of Breinigsville, said she jumped at the opportunity to get tickets to VIC Day with three of her friends after hearing a co-worker talk about it.
On Monday afternoon, the girls joked about this being their first "authentic" Raising Cane's experience, as they only ate at Raising Cane's at Temple University's campus dining. They'll likely be back Tuesday for the grand opening, they said.
"One of us is gonna win," Ph said of the Lucky 20 drawing.
Sewell said this is his ninth Raising Cane's restaurant to open in Pennsylvania, but the excitement never dies down.
"We are so pumped, very pumped," he said. "So getting a chance to open Lehigh Valley, which is kind of like a new market industry for us, is really exciting."
He said the Lower Macungie store — it has generated "a lot of buzz" online — marks an inward growth in the state from locations already established in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas.
"It gets special every time we do it."Warren Sewell, Regional Vice President of Raising Cane's
"Every time, every single time, [I get excited] because every time it's new customers, it's a new crew, it's new leaders that they only get one grand opening, you know?" Sewell said.
"So we get excited for this, because it's really about the company growing and expanding and giving opportunities to the new crew. So yeah, it gets special every time we do it."
