Raising Cane’s Plans First Southwest Florida Location at Fort Myers’ Busiest Intersection

At Fort Myers' busiest corner, Raising Cane's will open its first Southwest Florida restaurant. The location at 13186 S. Cleveland Ave. gets more than 122,000 cars driving by each day.

The chicken restaurant chose a prime one-acre spot where U.S. 41 meets Cypress Lake Drive. For 17 years, Lone Star Steakhouse operated there. Now Blaze Pizza and Cypress Trace shopping center sit on either side.

"The location is unprecedented," said Jim Shiebler, senior vice president with CBRE, to the Gulf Shore Business. The spot is surrounded by four busy shopping centers, filled with Costco, SuperTarget, Fresh Market, and 115 other stores.

Last September, Benderson Development grabbed the property for $40.35 million. They tore down the old steakhouse, which had become a trouble spot with code violations and squatters.

In 2024, the chain opened 118 new locations. They've expanded to 879 restaurants in 43 states, with Florida having 24 spots. Three more are coming soon to Orlando and Miami.

They keep things simple - their menu focuses on chicken fingers, fresh fries, and Texas toast. They first opened near LSU's campus in Baton Rouge back in 1996. That original restaurant is still going strong today.

The new spot is just six buildings away from Chick-fil-A. While construction permits are still waiting for county OK, the company suggests more locations are coming to the area.

Todd Graves made his dream happen even though professors shot down his idea. He worked tough jobs to save money for his first restaurant. He named it after his yellow lab.

Now moving into the Midwest and Northeast, they're getting creative. Post Malone and Ice-T appear in commercials targeting younger customers.

Major retailers like Bealls Florida, Ross Dress for Less, and Burlington are neighbors in the Cypress Trace area with the new restaurant.