Skip to content
Join our Newsletter
  1. Home
  2. Local Business

Raising Cane’s opening today in Longmont at Village at the Peaks

Raising Cane's held two “very important customer” events Monday for lunch and dinner. Each served about 600 meals, free to customers who had received special invitations. The day served as a dry run for restaurant operations staff, helping them test processes and iron out kinks.
Deborah Cameron
2020_12_15_LL_raising_canes4
Raising Cane's staffers Kevin Rodriguez, left, Jodelle Lapinski and Stephanie Magalei indicate how they think the food ranks during the very important customer" event at the new Longmont restaurant on Monday. (Photo by Deborah Cameron)

The Hover Street-facing parking lot at the Village at the Peaks might be a busy place today.  At 10 a.m., Louisiana-based fast-food chicken finger restaurant Raising Cane’s is opening its doors — and its drive thru — to Longmont.

Stephanie Magalei, the company’s area leader of restaurants, said she expects the location, 1236 S. Hover St., to be busy. 

“We’re planning to serve 2,500 meals to customers throughout the day,” she said.

To prepare, Raising Cane's held two “very important customer” events Monday for lunch and dinner. Each served about 600 meals, free to customers who had received special invitations. The day served as a dry run for restaurant operations staff, helping them test processes and iron out kinks.     

Lines of cars wrapped around the parking lot during the lunch preview session and police were on hand to help manage traffic. Police also will be available for the Tuesday grand opening.

2020_12_15_LL_raising_canes3Cars lined up at the drive-thru on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2020, for Raising Cane's "very important customer" event. (Photo by Deborah Cameron)
As staff saw how the lines were developing, they fine-tuned their processes, including placement of heaters to keep outside staff warm to handle the heavy traffic in the drive-thru lanes because of the COVID-related prohibition of indoor dining. 

“If people want to eat at a table, they can sit down at the patio. They can also do takeout or use our drive-thru,” Magalei said, adding that sanitation specialists will be following customers inside the store to ensure cleanliness and safety.

Customers who visited on Monday were excited about the Raising Cane’s coming to town. 

2020_12_15_LL_raising_canes2People attend a "very important customer" event at Raising Cane's in Longmont on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in advance of the restaurant's opening on Tuesday.(Photo by Deborah Cameron)
Shelly Neher, Noelle Perrin and Katy Humble stopped in for lunch, each with a bag of chicken finger meals. Humble had tried the restaurant in its Fort Collins location and wanted the others to try it here.

“It’s amazing,” Nehr said. “Today’s visit was super well organized.”

Perrin agreed, “They’re well run, friendly, clean. There’s lots of enthusiasm here today.”