Raising Cane’s vs. Chick-fil-A is quite a difficult debate, which is why I’ve always been quite interested in it. From crispiness to signature sauce to good service, they’re quite competitive with each other.
I’ll tell you my main order from each restaurant. From Cane’s, I often get the Box Combo with the fries made extra crispy since, by default, they are too soggy for me. I also ordered an extra Cane’s Sauce. On the other hand, from Chick-fil-A, I get a Spicy chicken Sandwich with extra pickles and pepperjack cheese, with a medium waffle fry, sweet tea, and two Chick-fil-A sauces. If possible, I get their mac and cheese.
There are many differences between each one’s chicken. Both have different styles of chicken with Chick-fil-A prioritizing flavor, and Cane’s prioritizing texture. I’m certain that most think that Cane’s chicken is much crispier with seemingly higher-quality chicken. However, Chick-fil-A’s seasoning is particularly impressive for being a chain, especially if it is the spicy chicken. It includes an almost reddish seasoning both in the breading’s batter as well as the outside of the actual meat. I also really enjoy Chick-fil-A’s nuggets, but they unfortunately don’t have a spicy variant. Again, each restaurant certainly has a different approach.
The restaurants both have their own respective sauce named after their brand. Cane’s Sauce is more sour and peppery, like a mixture of ketchup, mayo, and black pepper. Obviously, there are more ingredients than just those three. Chick-fil-A sauce is sweet, smokey, and rich, with it being made of honey mustard and barbecue. It’s my personal favorite. It also has a slight tanginess from the barbecue. Both options are usable on most of the food that each company sells.
Both menus are different, but both include the main ingredient… CHICKEN! Cane’s menu is the simpler one of the two, with the main items being chicken tenders, crinkle-cut fries, Texas Toast, coleslaw, Cane’s Sauce, and their sweet tea. Most of the menu items are combos that contain these items, with different proportions of each food. I find the Box Combo to be the most appealing. It has the right amount of everything except Texas Toast and Cane’s Sauce; there needs to be more of both. Chick-fil-A certainly has a much more diverse menu. They have salads, grilled chicken, mac and cheese, milkshakes, and deluxe sandwiches. This is all in addition to the basics. In terms of price, both are more expensive than most fast-food chains. Cane’s is quite overpriced, in my opinion. Chick-fil-A is expensive but makes up for it in quality.
Overall, I believe Chick-fil-A to be better, although Cane’s is still very enjoyable when it is made correctly. But when it comes to any of the major topics I mentioned before, Chick-fil-A mostly blows it out of the water, especially with the menu, seasoning, and diversity of foods. There is practically something for everyone. In case you didn’t already realize, I always go to Chick-fil-A when given the chance.
About the Contributor
Jude Van Dyne, Staff Writer
Jude is a first-year member of the Crimsonian Staff. He plays Piccolo in the Marching Band. He is also in A/V Club. He recently moved from Whitehall, Columbus.
