Raising Cane's could replace Houlihan's in East Farmingdale, but traffic worries persist
Houlihan's, seen here on Tuesday, is going out of business. Raising Cane's has applied to Babylon Town to open up at the site in East Farmindale. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, the national chain, is hoping to open one of its first Long Island restaurants in East Farmingdale, although Babylon Town officials and residents say they are concerned about the potential for traffic problems.
Raising Cane’s is proposing to tear down the Houlihan’s restaurant at 923 Broadhollow Rd. and build a 4,054-square-foot restaurant with 72 indoor and 15 outdoor seats, along with a drive-thru that can accommodate 21 vehicles. The location is in a shopping center that includes a Walmart, Bank of America and several other restaurants.
At a Babylon Town planning board hearing Monday night, attorney Bram Weber, of Melville, who is representing Raising Cane’s, said Houlihan’s is “ceasing operations” at the site.
Houlihan’s, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and was purchased by Landry’s Inc., has closed all of its other Long Island locations and the East Farmingdale restaurant is the only one left. It’s unclear if the company has plans to close that restaurant. Landry’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Based in Louisiana, Raising Cane’s has nearly 900 restaurants across the U.S. and has rapidly expanded recently, with more than 100 new establishments opening in 2024, according to senior property development manager Melissa Brotschul, who spoke before the planning board. Aside from drinks and a signature sauce, their menu is made up of only chicken fingers, Texas toast, crinkle fries and coleslaw. The average time a customer spends on site is 2½ minutes, she said.
“We know what our customers are going to order when they pull into the drive-thru,” Brotschul said, noting the restaurant’s typical hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., seven days a week.
In June, the North Hempstead Town approved the site plan for a Raising Cane’s in Carle Place. The restaurant and other facilities are planned for the property where the Chateau Briand catering hall had operated for decades before closing in December 2022.
Several planning board members questioned Alex Holleman, an engineer with Bohler Engineering in Melville, about the company’s parking lot layout and an anticipated large influx of traffic in the months after opening.
Holleman said the company was aware of a “honeymoon” period after first opening a new restaurant but that additional employees would be on hand to use cones and other measures to avoid traffic back-ups.
Weber told the board a market study was done that determined “why this location is well situated for this use” and that the company does “anticipate that a lot of their customers will be already on site at Walmart.”
The planning board will continue to accept comments on the proposal.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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