KENTWOOD, Mich. — Traffic around the new Raising Cane's restaurant on 28th Street in Kentwood has significantly calmed down since its chaotic opening day nearly two months ago.
When the popular chicken chain opened in November, traffic backed up for miles along 28th Street, creating major congestion throughout the area.
The scene looked dramatically different during my visit Monday. And neighbors who live in the area agree.
"Usually, like, noon, it gets super packed, you know, kind of uncomfortable for whoever is coming in the right lane from this area," said Raul Borrero, a Kentwood neighbor.
Borrero said 28th Street has gotten busier overall since Raising Cane's opened, but the extreme backups from opening day have subsided.
"I usually drive here a lot, and back then it was kind of like regular traffic. Now sometimes there's like, half a mile, like, backed out traffic," Borrero said. "Now the hype is getting a little bit lower, you know. So it's not that bad."
And with more Cane's popping up all around the area from Grandville to Kalamazoo, its important for neighbors to know what to expect.
Kentwood Police Captain Ryan Vanderveen explained that the holidays and the restaurant's opening created a perfect storm for traffic issues.
The department deployed extra officers to manage traffic for about two weeks before conditions normalized.
The improved traffic situation encouraged first-time visitors like Borrero, who had been waiting months to try the restaurant.
"It's my first time here I came because traffic was, it wasn't like, a lot of traffic that I was like, yeah, let me see what's up," Borrero said. "I don't want to be waiting like an hour for some chickens, you know."
While traffic has largely returned to normal, Captain VanderVeen noted that occasional backups still occur when drive-through lines extend onto street.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
