BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Raising Cane’s is crossing the pond. The popular chicken-finger chain announced it will open its first U.K. locations in 2026, starting in London’s West End.

Founder and owner Todd Graves said the U.K. expansion has been a long-time goal.

In the next year, Raising Cane’s plans to run about 1,000 restaurants in the U.S. Then, they will expand overseas. In the U.K., the chain will open in key spots like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, and South Bank. Drive-thru locations are also planned.

The move is expected to create more than 700 jobs in the U.K. within the first year. Raising Cane’s will also establish a London-based support office and hire a president to lead its U.K. operations, along with executives in marketing, human resources, finance, training, and operations.

The company has set a goal of operating more than 1,600 restaurants worldwide by the end of the decade, aiming to become one of the top 10 restaurant brands in sales.

“I’m thrilled to finally be opening in the UK in 2026. We receive more requests to come to the UK than anywhere else in the world, so I started looking at real estate with the team a few years ago and identifying top locations to open Raising Cane’s across London and then all the UK,” said Graves.

“It has always been a dream of mine to bring Cane’s to the UK and I’m excited to officially kick off this growth with the opening of our UK Flagship next year. London is one of my favorite places and I’ve always enjoyed visiting with my family,” said Graves.