[UPDATED OPENING DATE BELOW] The time has finally arrived to sink your teeth into some chicken at a new restaurant chain. The wait has been a long one here in the corridor.

Raising Cane's will be opening their first location in the I-380 corridor later this month. It will bring to an end a wait that started longer ago than you will probably even believe.

It was back in October of 2018 that we first told you about Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers' expansion into eastern Iowa. They opened their first location in this part of the state in the spring of 2019, in Cedar Falls. After more than two decades in business, other eastern Iowa locations would follow, right?

It was about 11 months later that we shared the news that the taste-tantalizing chicken fingers of Raising Cane's would be arriving in Cedar Rapids. The plan was to tear down the former Ryan's Family Steakhouse building on the north side of Collins Road and construct a new restaurant for Raising Cane's. A sign went up and, then came the pandemic.

Near the end of 2020, it was announced that ground would be broken in Cedar Rapids early in 2021. Sadly, that didn't come to fruition, either. At the end of 2021, came word that the Collins Road location wouldn't be happening and they were searching for another site. At that time, construction was already well underway on the new Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Coralville at 2800 Commerce Drive, between Wendy's and Casey's.

The Coralville Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers will be the sixth location in Iowa and the third in the eastern half of the state... in addition to the Cedar Falls store, there's a location in Davenport. The Coralville restaurant's opening has been delayed slightly due to ongoing hiring. The corporate office for Raising Cane's told me Thursday morning that the location will open on Tuesday, April 26. The Corridor Business Journal reports a total of 120 workers are being hired for the Coralville store, with starting wages between $12.50 and $14.50 per hour.

According to Corridor Business Journal, Joe Culver, an area Raising Cane's leader, released a statement about the Coralville opening. In it, Culver said, "This is the first of many Cane’s Restaurants that we plan on opening in the area.”

We hear you, Joe! Cedar Rapids will continue to wait... as patiently as we possibly can. After all, as Arnold Glasow once said, "The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."

The 10 Highest-Rated Restaurants in Cedar Rapids

What restaurants here in the Cedar Rapids area serve the best food? Here are the top ten according to Yelp!

Delicious Eastern Iowa Fries

Whether you like your fries crinkled, smothered in cheese, or in the form of tater tots, here are some of our favorites here in Eastern Iowa!

More From 97.7 KCRR