Raising Cane’s has garnered plenty of fans who love the establishment for its crispy
chicken fingers and legendary Cane's Sauce. Just what is in that sauce, however, is shrouded
in mystery. Here's the secret behind the highly-guarded secret of Cane's Sauce.
According to a tweet from Raising Cane's itself, the chain's general managers at each location
are the only ones with the recipe for the beloved Cane's Sauce. And, frankly, you are
not going to hear a peep out of them as to what exactly goes into the mix. All general
managers are apparently sworn to secrecy and their lips are sealed tight.
"What's in the sauce?"
"Sorry man, I can't tell you that."
"It's our secret."
Of course, this means they're the ones making the sauce fresh every morning, to the point
where they presumably have to avoid the other employees in each store. As for those non-GM
employees, they are just as clueless as us as to what the true recipe is.
With 529 locations in 32 states and territories, the dedication to keeping this secret safe
is pretty impressive. For 15 years, these hard-working general managers have managed
to keep the recipe entirely under wraps from everybody without any known slip-ups to the
media. As General Manager Jesse Yanarella, head of a Baton Rouge Raising Cane's location,
told WBRZ2,
"I have not told anyone ever, nope."
He further claimed the recipe for the sauce is handed down from manager to manager by
strict oral tradition and is never written down.
Even though the General Managers of Raising Cane's have kept the secret recipe for Cane's
Sauce under wraps, that doesn't mean there hasn't been some scandal surrounding the sauce.
People, it seems, are practically desperate to crack the code and make the much-vaunted
sauce at home themselves. It seems to have started back in 2015, when one "former employee"
claimed to have been fired by Raising Cane's and, in retribution, shared the secret recipe
on Twitter. The alleged employee even went so far as to include the exact measurements
of each ingredient an hour after her initial tweet.
The tweet quickly spread across the internet with thousands of retweets, leading the franchise
to release a tweet of their own two days later. Raising Cane's stated rather plainly that,
unless the employee was higher up than she had claimed, her recipe was no good.
As it turns out, the Twitter user in question was actually never an employee of Raising
Cane's. Upon heightened attention from other users, she admitted that she had never worked
at the restaurant, meaning she had no idea what the actual recipe was and that the "secret
recipe" was a total fabrication.
Many intrepid recipe developers have tried to crack the code for the elusive Cane's Sauce
recipe. A few have come pretty close, with most narrowing down the ingredients to five
key items: mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and ground black pepper.
Some recipes also call for salt or even a hit of spicy Creole seasoning to help amp
up the flavors.
Others even suggest keeping the sauce refrigerated for up to six hours to allow the flavors to
all come together in a single, cohesive taste experience before you try to eat it. Storing
your homemade Cane's Sauce in an airtight container is also suggested and allows the
sauce to stay fresh for a longer period of time. The sauce should last up to two weeks.
Unfortunately, unlike some other ultra-popular fast food sauces, Raising Cane's fans are
unable to buy the famed Cane's Sauce by the bottle at this time, according to Raising
Cane's answer to a fans' Facebook query. They did, however, note that some locations would
sell the sauce in "larger quantities", though the particulars of how customers were supposed
to procure those mass quantities of Cane's Sauce were left pretty vague.
One Reddit user posting on a Raising Cane's-themed subreddit suggests indulging in a bottle of
Freddy's Fry Sauce from Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers for a similar taste and look.
It's certainly a workable option if you're not interested in blending up a copycat recipe,
if nothing else. Still, as many fans will inevitably point out, it's simply not the
same thing as Cane's Sauce.
Another fan suggestion is to buy the sauce in a fountain cup from your local Raising
Cane's restaurant. According to one Twitter user in a post that has since been retweeted
by the franchise itself, they were able to buy Cane's Sauce in a rather large cup. This
revelation led other unknowing users to realize they could do the same. Just remember to ask
for a lid and don't worry too much about the curious looks you might receive from other
customers.
Many of those who have been lucky enough to visit a Raising Cane's have raved about the
restaurant's tasty sauce. For instance, multiple reviews on TripAdvisor speak positively about
the sauce, with one Las Vegas, Nevada user even titling their post, quote, "Canes Sauce
Is Worth the Visit." The Las Vegas user went on to write,
"[Cane's Sauce] goes perfect with the super fresh chicken tenders (never frozen) and crinkle
cut fries."
Another TripAdvisor user, this time from North Canton, Ohio, gave a little more detail in
their review, writing,
"The sauce is kind of smoky, a little spicy and really adds to the experience."
Reddit users on the Fast Food subreddit were even blunter when asked to compare Chick-fil-A's
sauce with the Raising Cane's competition. One Reddit user wrote, quote, "Cane's without
a doubt." Another Reddit user wrote, quote, "Cane's sauce all day for me." One Redditor
even claimed to make the sauce in their restaurant and posted what they believed was the much-vaunted
secret recipe, though history has taught us to be skeptical about Cane's Sauce secret
recipe revelations.
All in all, Cane's Sauce is a staple for the Louisiana-based restaurant chain and is well-loved
by Raising Cane's fans across the country. Although the recipe remains unknown, all customers
can easily enjoy a cup of the famed sauce at their local Raising Cane's restaurant.
We know we'll be ordering extra.
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