Huey Magoo's Vs Raising Cane's: What's The Difference Between The 2 Chicken Chains?

Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may have heard of Raising Cane's or Huey Magoo's — especially if you follow trends like Raising Cane's viral pizza hack. If you live in Florida, you're well aware of the rivalry between Huey Magoo's and Raising Cane's — two chicken joints that sell fried chicken tenders, Texas toast, crinkle fries, sodas, and appropriate sauces. The battle between the restaurants is well-documented, especially in locations where both chains compete, such as local college campuses.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two chains. If you order the standard three-piece meal, you'll see the first big difference, however: the price. While price will vary by location, the three-piece meal at Raising Cane's will get you three chicken fingers plus a container of Cane's famous sauce, fries, Texas Toast, and a regular-sized soda for $9.89. The same meal at Huey Magoo's costs $8.74 , but it doesn't include the drink.

On Yelp, Huey Magoo's has an average of 3.7 stars out of 5. The rating is based on 703 reviews from several different locations. Diners loved the chicken and the sauce. For the most part, all were happy with the prompt service. Raising Cane's has an average rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 153 reviews from various locations. Patrons had mixed reviews about which chicken restaurant served the best food.

Huey Magoo's, founded by Matt Armstrong and Thad Hudgens in 2004, prides itself on only using tenders cut from the tenderloin. According to the restaurant's website, if a chicken only has two tenders it's dubbed the "filet mignon" of chicken — and that's all Huey Magoo's sells. Huey Magoo's also has a larger menu than Raising Cane's. It offers four different salads featuring either grilled or hand-breaded tenders. There are three other salads that have smaller tenders called Tender Bites. Plus, there are desserts — five different cookies and banana pudding.

Technically, Raising Cane's, started by Todd Graves in 1996, also sells chicken fingers, not tenders, cut from the tenderloin. It simply doesn't refer to it as the chicken's filet mignon. In addition, Raising Cane's menu is smaller, with only chicken fingers, French fries, coleslaw, and Texas toast. You won't find salads or desserts.

It might be the sauce, however, that truly separates these two chains. With Huey Magoo's, customers have a choice of four different ones, including buffalo, lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, and sweet heat. It also offer dips to go along with the tenders — three homemade flavors, Magoo's, Spicy Magoo's, and ranch, plus several specialty flavors including buffalo, honey mustard, barbecue, Bleu cheese, sweet heat, and garlic parmesan. Raising Cane's, on the other hand, only offers its signature Cane's Sauce. While both chains offer similar basics, the differences may be what has you coming back to one or the other more often.