The chicken wars have begun in earnest in Clarksville.

With the new opening of Raising Canes, Zaxbys has gained yet another competitor in the chicken business. After last year’s opening of Slim Chickens, Clarksville now has three restaurant chains that are known primarily for their chicken tenders, not counting KFC, Popeyes, Bojangles and Chic-Fil-A. 

It seems people either love Canes or hate Canes. And many argue that Canes’ chicken doesn’t come close to Zaxbys’ chicken. 

My stance on which fast food is better is very biased due to the fact that I haven’t had Raising Canes in Clarksville yet; however, I still prefer Zaxbys’ over the Raising Canes I tried years ago.

For senior Kinleigh Lewis, she is a strong believer in Zaxbys over Canes as she believes “Cane’s chicken is too soft and tastes fake.” Despite this taste, Canes claims that they make their chicken fresh as they don’t use heat lamps.

Lewis says that Zaxbys’ chicken, sauce, french fries, zalad, and bread makes her feel “All warm inside.” Her go-to order from Zaxbys’ is the Kickin chicken sandwich with zax sauce and a large Dr Pepper.

However not everyone is on the same page as Lewis. For Ms. Gail Brimley, German teacher, Canes is far superior.

“So the chicken is fresh, never frozen,” she said. “They are efficient. The fries are the best, not too thick and just right. The lemonade is so good. I get my chicken without breading (aka Naked), and I always get the Caniac combo with extra Texas toast.”

In an informal survey of 100 students, 44 percent of West Creek students preferred Zaxbys, while only 15 percent preferred Raising Canes. Slim Chickens came in third with 12 percent of the vote, and Popeyes garnered 6 percent. 

Let the debate begin. Which fast food chicken do you prefer?