Around April of 2018, Raising Canes sent a proposal to Lakewood’s city council about the construction of a new establishment in place of the old, vacant Bob Evans.

As posted on Councilman Tristan Rader’s Facebook page in August, the restaurant will be large, accommodating 76 Diners inside as well as a patio with another 26 spots available. Many people are fans of the fast-food chicken chain, but few are in the area.

The restaurant that opened in Strongsville had issues with traffic in the area for months after its debut. This could propose a problem for locals and for traffic in our area. Lakewood already has plenty of issues with traffic, as its roads were built around the turn of the century.

Another issue, brought up by councilmen Rader, is the need to limit fast-food in Lakewood.” Our goal should be to promote the health of the community”, he wrote in a later post on Facebook. Lakewood has plenty of fast-food chains residing within its limits.

But is Raising Canes’ as bad as officials say? In reality, the fast-food place only sells 5 items; chicken strips, Texas toast, fries, special sauce, and Cole slaw. It’s more of a specialty restaurant, unlike places like McDonald’s or Burger King.

The opening of the restaurant is still scheduled for fall of 2019, but officials and community members alike are worried about traffic issues, as well as the health of locals. Lakewood has promised a traffic study will be conveyed in the near future to make sure it would be a feasible location. Excitement and caution are definitely felt, but for now Lakewood will have a Raising Canes’