"raising canes" news and stories

Don't ever doubt the rabid nature of Twilight fans. The last film of the franchise, Breaking Dawn, is currently filming in Florida, and it's somehow become big news that Taylor Lautner, who plays werewolf Jacob, has been eating chicken fingers.

That's right – teen hearts are all aflutter, report the editors at TheStir, because they can now definitively say what Lautner and costar Dakota Fanning had for lunch. At least they won't have to speculate about what the duo ordered -- Raising Cane's, the joint they were spotted in, only does one thing: chicken fingers.

Yes, it's a chicken-finger chain. And evidently breaded chicken tenders are big business: The company has more than 75 locations in 13 states. Lautner and Fanning must have had some combination of chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and coleslaw because, well, that's all the place serves. A creamy red sauce (probably ketchup-and-mayo based) comes alongside, but it's doubtful that Lautner indulged in too much of it – he's notoriously protective of his hard-won six-pack.

Other local Raising Cane's owners tried to get in on the action by posting signs begging Lautner to stop by their stores. Give them credit – they know a little werewolf publicity goes a long way.

The fast-food giants have nothing on America's regional favorites, according to a survey released this week.

Diners rated regional chains over traditional heavyweights in a survey of overall customer satisfaction. In-N-Out Burger of Irvine, Calif., took the top spot in the survey of 141 chains conducted by Sandelman & Associates.

Regional faves grabbed top honors in the survey released Monday: In-N-Out Burger moved to the top spot from second place in 2007, receiving a 60 percent "excellent" rating. The popular California burger chain was followed this year by Raising Cane's of Baton Rouge, La., with 59 percent and Giordano's Pizza of Chicago with 56 percent. Pei Wei, which won the satisfaction survey in 2007, finished seventh.