There has long been a debate between students over which chicken-based restaurant is better: Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane’s. There is both a Chick-fil-A and a Raising Cane’s within a short distance of the University of Northwestern–St. Paul. There are many factors in this debate, including each restaurant’s signature sauce, options, service, beverages and the quality of the chicken itself.
Megan Moeller, a freshman nursing major, said, “I really love Chick-fil-A because there are a lot more options, and their service is great.”
McKenna Murray, a sophomore kinesiology pre-therapy major, said, “I like the Chick-fil-A milkshakes, and Cane’s toast is always good, but all they have is chicken strips.”
Zach Gordy, a freshman public relations major, prefers Chick-fil-A because “Cane’s doesn’t have any barbecue sauce, and the chicken is dry.”
Ashley Clark, a sophomore psychology major, and JoHanna Beyer, a junior visual art education major, also prefer Chick-fil-A, both saying the chicken is better. Clark added that “Cane’s is too expensive,” and Beyer said she thinks, “The line is longer at Cane’s.”
While quite a few people sided with Chick-fil-A, there are others who stand more on the middle ground.
Gabe Zderad, a sophomore pastoral ministries major, made several good points: “Cane’s has better chicken, but Chick-fil-A has more options and better fries. Chick-fil-A’s lemonade is better, but Cane’s toast always hits the spot.” As for the restaurants’ respective signature sauces, he replied, “Both sauces are good; it just depends on my mood.”
Madison Almquist, a sophomore elementary education major, also had a multifaceted opinion on the issue. She said, “Both are great options … I like the values of Chick-fil-A because they’re Christian-based, and I like the business strategy of Cane’s. I would 10/10 … recommend both. Shakes at Chick-fil-A are the best part of Chick-fil-A, and the Texas toast is the best part of Cane’s.”
Even though most people sided with Chick-fil-A, there was still one person defending Cane’s lovers. Lauren Myrlie, a freshman ESL major, stated that “Canes is more filling, and their sauce is better than [at] Chick-fil-A.”
While both restaurants are beloved and frequented by many, there is not enough room in one’s stomach for both—at least in the same meal.
Although this debate is not one of great importance to the livelihood of UNW, it is quite humorous. This can also demonstrate how amazingly each person has been created. God gave each person the divine capability to empathize and care for people and things other than one’s own self. The fact that people care enough about chicken and chicken-based restaurants for there to even be a debate demonstrates how beautifully God has created humans.
