Raising Cane's chicken fingers coming to Hendersonville. Rio Bravo on the move

Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

A Baton Rouge-based restaurant chain known for chicken fingers is moving forward to open a new location on East Main Street in Hendersonville.

Raising Cane’s will replace Rio Bravo, which has operated at the one-acre site for 12 years, said Ralph Lynn Jr., who owns the property with wife Shirley Elaine Lynn.

The property owners have a 15-year lease agreement with Raising Cane’s, Ralph Lynn Jr. said. Hendersonville’s planning commission has approved a site plan for the restaurant.

When Raising Cane’s could open in Hendersonville isn’t immediately determined.

A large line of people wait for the opening of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Palm Springs, January 13, 2022.
A large line of people wait for the opening of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Palm Springs, January 13, 2022.

Raising Cane’s will build a new 2,843-square-foot restaurant that will include a drive-thru with double-lane stacking, according to plans submitted to the city. The 6,000-square-foot Rio Bravo building on the property will be taken down, Lynn added.

The entrance will be from a shared access off Indian Lake Boulevard. Vehicles will exit either at the shared access road adjacent to Slim Chickens or to the east access point on to the common access road leading into the Publix parking lot.

Personnel at Rio Bravo stated plans are for that restaurant to announce a new location in Hendersonville. The lease with Rio Bravo on East Main continues until Feb. 1, Lynn said. The lease could be extended for a short period of time depending on Raising Cane’s needs, Lynn said.

Raising Cane's has Tennessee restaurants open in Cookeville and Knoxville and a Kentucky location in Bowling Green. The brand is in and around a number of SEC college towns, said Raising Cane’s Felicia Bivens, who addressed Hendersonville’s planning commission.

Two Raising Cane’s restaurants are planned in Nashville — one on White Bridge Road and another on Lower Broadway, according to reports.

Each restaurant hires 100-plus full and part-time employees, Bivens told the planning commission.

Raising Cane’s has more than 600 restaurants. Bivens also spoke about the company’s community work that has totaled more than $100 million donated working with more than 30,000 organizations since the company was launched in 1996.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Raising Cane's to open a new location in Hendersonville