With the recent popularity of mukbangs, also known as satisfying eating videos, chicken restaurants have become more prevalent than ever. The two biggest chicken franchises that have been featured in TikTok videos, Raising Canes at #Canes with 82.1k posts on TikTok and Wingstop at #Wingstop with 122.5k posts.
Wingstop 4/5
Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, Wingstop has grown in popularity year by year. Since 2020, Wingstop’s revenue has increased by 21.6% and continues to grow.The restaurant’s menu is diverse with options such as tenders, sandwiches and sides, like fries and corn, but they are best known for their wings. They offer nine signature flavors of wings but some of the most popular are garlic Parmesan, mango habanero and mild.
Located in Sully Plaza, Wingstop has a variety of meal deals. The boneless meal feeds 2-3, and it comes with 20 boneless wings with up to four flavors of your choice, with a large fry and two dips, costing a total of $19.71. Wingstop is a perfect place to eat with family and friends and is great for game days.
From the flavors I tried, the garlic Parmesan was my favorite. Its buttery and garlicky flavors, topped with the parmesan, give the wings a burst of flavors that aren’t too spicy. The mild flavor was similar to a buffalo wing, and the heat level was perfect. The third was the plain flavor.
Surprisingly, although the plain flavor was dry, it wasn’t too bad because every bite came with a satisfying crunch. My least favorite was mango habanero; it had a mild, sweet flavor, and it was extremely hot. Wingstop did a great job on making sure all the flavors are well seasoned but they could have done a better job on making the mango habanero and the mild flavor more crispy.
Raising Cane’s 3.5/5
Founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Raising Cane’s specializes in chicken tenders and fries. Unlike Wingstop, Cane’s has a simpler menu with five different combos containing tenders, fries and sandwiches with a side of Texas toast, coleslaw and Cane’s sauce.
Located at Dulles Eastern Plaza, Cane’s is a good place to stop by and grab a bite to eat after shopping. The box meal comes with four chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, one Cane’s sauce, Texas toast, coleslaw and a drink for $12.82. Cane’s has more affordable combos than Wingstop, but Wingstop gives more food for the price.
Fried to perfection while being juicy and tender, the Cane’s chicken fingers are delicious. Although my set of tenders was quite salty, I didn’t mind. The Texas toast was perfectly buttered and went well with the Cane’s sauce. On the other hand, the fries, although crispy and crunchy, were too salty. The main positive about Cane’s was its sauce because it brought the meal together. Its creamy and tangy flavor went well with the plain and salty tenders.
Compared to Wingstop, Raising Cane’s lacked flavors and their menu was too simple. I found Cane’s to be overly hyped. The best part of Cane’s was the sauce, which made me choose Wingstop over Canes.
