First published in the March 19 print issue of the Burbank Leader.
The opening of a Raising Cane’s in Burbank was moved once again, with a representative of the fast-food chain saying it is now slated to start operations later this spring.
Officials from the restaurant, known for its chicken tenders, and the city previously said that a Raising Cane’s would open on Olive Avenue in September 2021, a date that later moved to March 2022. In an email to the Leader, Raising Cane’s community liaison Marice DePesquale said the location would open this spring, with a more detailed estimate to come sometime that season.
Though some community members in and around Burbank have taken to social media to express excitement about the restaurant’s presence, a group of neighbors in the adjacent residential community decried news of its arrival. Several members of the nearby Rancho Providencia neighborhood asked the City Council to halt the project in early 2020, raising concerns that the popular eatery’s drive-thru would draw traffic, noise and trash.
After council members said they could not prevent the restaurant from developing the site, some neighbors turned to the courts, suing Raising Cane’s in June. Save Rancho Providencia Neighborhood, which purports to represent the community, has argued that Raising Cane’s needed to receive special permission from the city to construct a drive-thru, though the city has disputed this. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge also decided last year against issuing a ruling that would prevent the restaurant from opening during the legal proceedings.
In a hearing on March 9, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said he would take both parties’ arguments “under submission.” The court also canceled a March 11 hearing on Save Rancho Providencia Neighborhood’s arguments, though filed documents indicated it would be rescheduled.
Pasquale previously told the Leader that the lawsuit affected Raising Cane’s opening date, but did not immediately respond to a question this week regarding whether the ongoing litigation prompted the most recent delay.
