A proposal in Carle Place that includes what could be Long Island's first Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers advanced after the Town of North Hempstead approved site plans for the project.

The property where the restaurant and other facilities would be located includes the former site of the Chateau Briand catering hall, which closed in December 2022. Raising Cane's will be 3,292 square feet, with two drive-through lanes, said Andrew Kelly, a landscape architect for Hauppauge-based VHB, at a recent town board meeting.

The restaurant will be built on the property at 357-440 Old County Rd., which already includes a DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse. The redevelopment also calls for a one-story bank with a drive-through, along with a 21,120-square-foot building designed to accommodate retail and restaurant use, Kelly said.

The Louisiana-based chicken chain plans to open three restaurants on Long Island, Newsday has reported. In addition to launching in Carle Place, Raising Cane’s hopes to open locations in Commack and Farmingdale in 2026 and 2027.

“This plan that’s before us today has been improved several times,” North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said during a town board meeting in which the site plan was approved. “I believe this is a nice result for the community.”

The developer is Carle Place LLC/440 Old Country Road LLC, according to town documents.

Scotto Brothers bought the catering hall in 1978, and for decades Chateau Briand was a popular destination for weddings, Sweet Sixteens, and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations. After it closed in 2022, the company laid off 112 employees and auctioned off key memorabilia, including a baby grand piano and crystal chandeliers, Newsday previously reported. The building was later demolished.

Raising Cane's is minimalistic in substance and proudly Southern in sensibility: Its menu is limited to chicken fingers — available loose or on a bun — with sides of crinkle cut fries, Texas toast and coleslaw. The chicken cannot be grilled, baked or boiled — only fried.

Since the original location's opening in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the chain has expanded nationwide to more than 800 restaurants, with 118 opened in 2024, according to the company's website. There are five locations in New York City, including one in Penn Station. 

North Hempstead Councilman Robert Troiano Jr., who represents Carle Place, said he’d discussed the proposed development with residents at public meetings and through written communications. He acknowledged some residents have concerns about traffic.

“Something is going to come to this property. It’s not going to remain vacant for the rest of time,” Troiano said during the meeting. “What might come there might be an even worse application in terms of traffic.”

A Raising Cane's spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company is “actively exploring opportunities to bring” a restaurant to North Hempstead.

“Raising Cane’s is excited to continue our expansion in New York,” the spokesperson said.