By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Plans are taking shape to demolish the former Stone Eagle Tavern, 6445 E. State St., to make way for a new Raising Cane’s restaurant.
DJNK Holdings, which owns the property, has submitted an application for a special-use permit for a drive-thru restaurant for the fast-food chain that specializes in chicken fingers. The application is slated to be discussed at the Tuesday, March 19 meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The building that formerly housed Stone Eagle and before that Cheddar’s would be demolished for a new drive-thru restaurant to be built on the site, according to Scott Capovilla, the city’s planning and zoning manager.
Stone Eagle owner Jimmy Vitale said in January that he was closing the restaurant after 15 years because the owner planned to sell the property. DJNK Holdings said at the time that the next use would be a quick-service restaurant chain, but it could not yet announce which one. Calls made Friday to DJNK Holdings were not returned.
The future restaurant is subject to approval of the permit by Rockford City Council after the hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Raising Cane’s was founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey. It’s known for its simple menu centered around chicken tenders with signature dipping sauces that can be served with Texas toast and coleslaw. It also offers a chicken fingers sandwich.
The restaurant was named after Graves’ Labrador retriever.
There are now roughly 750 Raising Cane’s across the country, according to the data company ScrapeHero. There are multiple locations in Chicagoland and one in DeKalb.
This would be the chain’s first location in the Rockford area.
Vitale has kept some of the signature decor from Stone Eagle, including the seven limestone eagles and the cupolas on the building. He said in January that he had plans for another restaurant in the future. He has not yet announced details of those plans.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas