Raising Cane's Drive-Thru Won't Cause Traffic Issues: City

JOLIET, IL — Since the coronavirus pandemic, fewer people are visiting sit-down bars and restaurants for their meals. On the other hand, fast-food restaurants are thriving as more people order takeout since it's safer. The Raising Cane's chicken fingers franchise wants to capitalize on the growth of carryout orders by opening its first restaurant in Joliet.

On Tuesday, the Joliet City Council is expected to vote whether to approve the Raising Cane's proposal to build a drive-thru restaurant along Joliet's Route 30 corridor near Interstate 55.

As Joliet Patch first reported last week, Raising Cane's has a deal in place to purchase the Diamand's Family Restaurant at 3000 Plainfield Road. Raising Cane's intends to demolish the shuttered restaurant this spring and open its drive-thru restaurant later this year.

Diamand's was a popular restaurant near the Louis Joliet Mall after it was built in 1989. However, business was starting to decline even before the pandemic. In 2019, Diamand's reduced its hours of operation and made some changes to its menu in hopes of attracting more first-time customers.

After Gov. JB Pritzker prohibited indoor dining for several months starting last March, the long-time family owners of Diamand's opted to close their doors. They never reopened in 2020.

Raising Cane's often opens in communities that get a Chick-fil-A.

Raising Cane's just opened a new restaurant in Oswego down the road from the Chick-fil-A along Route 34.

Chick-fil-A, an Atlanta fast-food franchise, tore down the old Lone Star Steakhouse on Plainfield Road last summer and opened its new double drive-thru in Joliet on Jan. 14.

Since opening in Joliet, the lines at the Chick-fil-A are often long during the evening hours. Sometimes it's taking people at least 45 minutes from the time they enter the large parking lot near the Target store to the time they pick up their chicken sandwiches or chicken nuggets to drive away.

The addition of Raising Cane's could give Chick-fil-A some serious competition.

The following are some documents provided to the Joliet City Council to prepare the city's politicians for Tuesday night's vote on the Raising Cane's drive-thru proposal.

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