Feb. 7—Despite cold and rainy conditions, more than 200 people gathered on Campus Corner on Tuesday morning to celebrate the grand opening of the world's largest freestanding Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.

Norman's third Raising Cane's, at 765 Asp Ave., Suite 100, is now serving its chicken and Cane's sauce on the Corner. The store, which took over the space previously occupied by Coolgreens, is more than 4,500 square feet.

The Pride of Oklahoma, Boomer and Sooner, RUF/NEKS and OU Cheer were among those on hand. Representatives from the Norman Chamber of Commerce along with a live DJ and more than 100 students were also present for a ribbon cutting ceremony before the new store opened its doors to eager "Caniacs."

Preceding the opening, 20 university students won free Cane's for a year.

With a workforce exceeding 100 employees, Tommy Van Wolfe, vice president of operations for Raising Cane's, said he expects considerable business from Norman residents and the OU community, adding the location is "ideal."

"The energy and the proximity to the stadium is huge," Van Wolfe said. "Knowing the crowds that come to town, we'll make sure we're ready for it and we'll have a great experience for them."

With pictures of Norman and OU's past lining the walls, Van Wolfe said this store is their "all-in campus location."

Open from 10 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, the restaurant will be an option for those late nights after football games.

Branden Poulin started his employment at Raising Cane's seven years ago at the store once located inside Adams Tower. He's now the restaurant leader and general manager of the Campus Corner restaurant.

Poulin said he's been patiently waiting to open the store on Asp Avenue since the Adams Tower location closed more than two years ago.

"We're excited to be back here," he said. "With the culture that OU brings and also the city of Norman, we've got the best of both worlds."

Norman Chamber of Commerce ambassador John Richardson said the chamber is pleased to get another Cane's centrally located on Campus Corner, where university students and others can come and grab chicken.

"It's a great honor to have another business putting more tax dollars back into the city of Norman so we can make the city a better place than it already is," Richardson said.

Jeff Elkins covers business, living and community stories for The Transcript. Reach him at jelkins@normantranscript.com or at @JeffElkins12 on Twitter.