A Bloody Scene to Greet Raising Cane’s Grand Opening in Seattle as Cruelty to Chickens Called Out

For Immediate Release:
February 13, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

Chaos at Canes! Anyone stopping by the Raising Cane’s grand opening is in for some shocking food for thought on Tuesday, when PETA members bearing yellow caution tape and sauce buckets brimming with “blood” will gather outside the chicken chain and “close” it for cruelty. The animal allies are hellbent on making the point that chickens – who feel love, joy, pain, and fear, just as humans do – are factory farmed and have their throats cut, so anyone against cruelty to birds should leave them in peace—not pieces.

“PETA asks anyone thinking of eating chicken to ask themselves if they can feel good about themselves paying for outright cruelty and suffering, and turn right around,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “If you buy, they die, and you are subsidizing cruelty to animals when it’s so easy to go vegan.”

PETA offers a free vegan starter kit for anyone thinking of making the switch.

Where:           Raising Cane’s, Raising Cane’s, 4345 University Way NE, Seattle

When:             Tuesday, February 17, 9 a.m.

Why:               Chickens are social learners who watch and emulate one another. They form strong bonds, dream when they sleep, and worry about the future, just as humans do—but in the meat industry, chickens are confined by the tens of thousands to severely crowded, filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. At slaughterhouses, mechanized blades slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and many are scalded to death in de-feathering tanks.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.