The first customer at the Chubbuck Raising Cane's opening on March 31 had camped outside for nearly 48 hours. One person in line told East Idaho News that more than 100 people stayed overnight, and he was number 102. About 200 people turned out in total.
Idaho Falls gets the same event on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 2236 South 25th East. The restaurant sits south of the Grand Teton Mall, across from Target. The headline time is 10 a.m. The giveaways, though, follow a schedule that runs hours earlier, and anyone who shows up at 10 will have missed most of them.
Tuesday Starts at 7:30, Not 10
East Idaho News published the grand-opening schedule on Oct. 13, and it says people are encouraged to arrive before 7:30 a.m. Here is how the day lays out against the clock:
| Time | What happens | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30 a.m. | Entries open for the "Lucky 20" drawing | Ages 13 and older |
| About 8:30 a.m. | 20 winners drawn for free Cane's for a year | You must be present to win |
| 8:45 a.m. | Ribbon cutting with the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and Idaho Falls School District 91 | D91 representatives on hand |
| Morning | DJ, plus the Idaho Falls cheerleaders and mascot | Part of the morning program |
| During the day | $1,000 check presentation to Idaho Falls School District 91 | Listed separately from the ribbon cutting |
| 10 a.m. | Doors open | Customer No. 1 gets a gift basket |
| 10 a.m. onward | Trucker hat and free Box Combo Card with each of the first 100 combos bought in the restaurant | One per combo, while supplies last |
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Evening DJ | The one item scheduled after work hours |
The free year of chicken is the prize people line up for, and the winners are drawn about 90 minutes before anyone can order a single chicken finger. The ribbon cutting is also done before 10. By the time the doors open, three things are still up for grabs: the gift basket for Customer No. 1, the 100 hats and combo cards, and dinner.
The hat offer applies to combos bought in the restaurant. If the plan is to grab a hat on the way to work, the double-lane drive-thru won't get you one.
What Chubbuck Says About the Line
Chubbuck makes a good preview because the Idaho Falls playbook nearly matches it. That opening also had a Lucky 20 drawing for a year of free Cane's, a gift basket for the first customer, a hat and combo card for each of the first 100 combos, and a ribbon cutting with the local chamber, which there was the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce.
The numbers from that morning are worth comparing to the prize list:
- More than 100 people camped overnight, by the count of one person in line.
- 100 hats and combo cards were on offer.
- 20 free-for-a-year prizes were drawn.
- 1 gift basket went to a customer who had waited close to two days.
In Chubbuck, the overnight crowd alone outnumbered the hats. One woman told East Idaho News she got there at 8 p.m. the Monday before and stayed through the night. Raising Cane's area marketing leader Jomel Prado summed up the day in the same East Idaho News story:
"Chubbuck really showed out."
Both openings landed on a Tuesday. The Chubbuck turnout gives Idaho Falls a recent, nearby baseline for what a weekday Cane's opening in this part of the state can draw. Whether Idaho Falls beats that number is up to the people who show up Monday night.
Getting In and Out on 25th East
Chubbuck treated its opening as a traffic event. Before the doors opened there, the Idaho State Journal reported a traffic advisory from police and the Idaho Transportation Department. Officials planned to watch Yellowstone Avenue for backups, banned left turns from Bullock Street into the restaurant, and sent drivers in by way of Hurley Drive. Post-opening coverage there described cars pulling into the drive-thru and gave no tally of backups.
The Idaho Falls announcement doesn't include an access plan. The one design detail it lists is a double-lane drive-thru. This site is on the stretch south of the mall that people already use for Target runs. If you'd rather shop than eat on Tuesday morning, plan around the 7:30 to 10 a.m. window. That's when the crowd has a reason to be there and the kitchen isn't serving yet.
The Hours Matter More Than Opening Day
After Tuesday, the giveaways end and the posted hours become the part that sticks. Raising Cane's Idaho Falls will be open:
- Sunday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
That means 15 hours of service on a weeknight and 16 on weekends, with a double-lane drive-thru to handle the traffic. A Friday high school game, a late shift or a drive back from Island Park after dark can now end with a hot meal on 25th East well past midnight.
The menu is short. Inside, the walls show photos from founder Todd Graves' early days with the brand. The Box Combo, one of the chain's most popular meals, comes with chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw and Cane's Sauce. The company says its chicken is marinated for at least 24 hours, hand-battered for each order, and served with sauce made fresh daily.
A Busy Corner Again
The building fills a gap on this part of 25th East. East Idaho News described the restaurant as sitting right by where Grocery Outlet used to be. That store, at 2455 East 25th Street, opened in July 2022. It was set to close by March 21, 2026, after the company listed it among 36 stores it said had no viable path to sustained profitability. The report described a closure, with no new Idaho Falls location announced.
Seven months later, the same stretch adds a business with a much bigger crew. Raising Cane's says it has hired 135 people for the Idaho Falls location. It's the brand's fifth Idaho opening. The first was Meridian last year, followed by Twin Falls in January, then Coeur d'Alene, and Chubbuck in March.
Restaurant Leader Zachary Balls described the crew as locally hired in the Oct. 13 announcement:
"Bringing Raising Cane's to Idaho Falls is an exciting opportunity for our crew as we become part of this welcoming community."
Opening day also brings a $1,000 check presentation to Idaho Falls School District 91, whose representatives join the Chamber at the 8:45 a.m. ribbon cutting. The Lucky 20 drawing and the ribbon cutting both wrap up before the restaurant serves its first order at 10 a.m.
If you're heading to 25th East Tuesday morning and want to talk about what's changing on the east side of town, from busy corners to the streets around them, I'm always happy to compare notes. Reach out to Adam Walz and schedule your free consultation.
