Raising Cane’s is aiming to plant its next Bay Area flag at 211 Jefferson Street, a block from Pier 39, with local reporting pointing to construction starting in March 2026 and a summer 2026 opening. If the deal holds, the chicken finger chain would be the latest national brand to move onto Jefferson Street as Fisherman’s Wharf works to refill long-empty storefronts.
Permits for the Jefferson Street space have been filed, Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District director Cecile Gregoire told KTVU. “The arrival of Raising Cane’s is another exciting sign of the momentum we’re seeing in the Wharf,” Gregoire said, and KTVU reports the application covers the corner of Jefferson and Taylor.
Site, timeline and paperwork
A commercial listing for 211-229 Jefferson is already teasing the deal. The property listing on LoopNet invites other tenants to “Join Raising Cane’s Future Flagship Location” and tags the spot with an “Opening Summer 2026” note. In yesterday’s write-up, SFist highlighted local reporting that construction was set to begin “next month,” a timeline that points directly to March 2026. Read together, those details suggest Cane’s is aiming for a mid-2026 debut on the Wharf.
Wharf revival draws national brands
The planned Cane’s opening is landing in the middle of a broader Fisherman’s Wharf makeover push. The Port and neighborhood groups are backing new public-realm projects, including a plaza and promenade laid out in the Port’s Fisherman’s Wharf Forward plan, according to the Port of San Francisco. At the same time, a wave of national names is filling in the blanks on Jefferson Street. Recent and pending signings along the corridor, from a Taco Bell Cantina that opened in January to a planned Everett & Jones BBQ, have been tracked by the San Francisco Chronicle. Together, the deals are part of a strategy to erase pandemic-era vacancies and pull more consistent daytime and evening foot traffic back to the Wharf.
Why Cane’s picked the Wharf
Raising Cane’s traces its origins to a single restaurant near LSU, and the company opened its first location in 1996, according to Raising Cane’s. From that one shop, the chain has been steadily expanding, including a growing Bay Area footprint. KTVU notes additional planned Bay Area locations, including Stonestown.
For tourists and locals, Cane’s familiar lineup of chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw and Texas toast offers quick, low-friction meals that fit neatly with the Wharf’s tourist-heavy flow of families and groups. At the same time, some residents are still debating whether a fresh round of national chains is really the Wharf’s best long-term draw, even as landlords and the city lean into brands that can back up long leases…