A Boston landlord is trying to boot a Raising Cane’s location because the restaurant “smells like chicken fingers,” according to a lawsuit described by CBS Boston on Friday.
Raising Cane’s says its Back Bay outpost on Boylston Street — which opened in 2022 inside a roughly 100-year-old building and holds a lease running through 2037 — is being threatened with eviction after new second-floor office tenants complained about “offensive odor,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: Raising Cane’s Fires Employees Who Allegedly Yelled ‘Execute’ At Charlie Kirk Supporters)
“Despite these efforts, Defendant continues to complain that its tenant’s chicken finger restaurant smells like chicken fingers,” the company said in its lawsuit. “In reality, it appears that Defendant has come to the realization that its own build-out of the second-floor office space was poorly executed.”
Raising Cane’s lawsuit by CBS Boston
The landlord is listed as 775 Boylston LLC, which CBS Boston reported is affiliated with Heath Properties. Heath told WBZ-TV it has “no comment” on the lawsuit, according to the outlet.
Raising Cane’s says it spent more than $200,000 trying to reduce odor issues, CBS Boston reported, but was informed last month that its lease would be terminated over “offensive and/or nuisance odors.”
The lawsuit also alleges the landlord tried to pressure Raising Cane’s into waiving a lease provision granting the chain exclusivity as the building’s “exclusive chicken restaurant,” CBS Boston reported.
Raising Cane’s claims the landlord has been negotiating with Panda Express to take space next to the chicken-finger spot — space previously occupied by a Starbucks. CBS Boston noted Panda Express already has another location in the city, inside Boston University’s student union.