Raising Cane's opens its first store in the Triangle

Raising Cane's, the popular fried chicken chain started in Louisiana, opens its first Triangle location on Tuesday in downtown Chapel Hill.

Why it matters: The restaurant occupies perhaps the most prominent corner in all of Chapel Hill — Franklin and Columbia streets — and has been under construction for two years.

• The result is a two-story palace of chicken that looks significantly different from the restaurants that used to occupy the space.
• It opens just in time for the start of UNC's basketball season as well as the UNC-Duke football game on Saturday.

Details: For the uninitiated, Cane's is known for its juicy chicken tenders, signature sauce and Texas toast.

• Cane's is a rarity in North Carolina: its only other locations are on East Carolina University's campus and on Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville.
• In spirit it is closer to Zaxby's (a chicken chain that's been in North Carolina for years) than Bojangles, the beloved and homegrown fast-food institution.

What's next: Expansion in the Triangle does not appear to be done, with multiple employees telling Axios that the Cane's has plans to open a location near N.C. State University in Raleigh.