Raising Cane's National Chicken Finger Day Is Bigger Than You Think

Beloved by children and adults alike, chicken fingers, nuggets, and tenders are regular menu items for many (the best brand of frozen chicken nuggets always has a spot in our freezer). While most days are a good day for the food favorite, July 27 is the best day for it. That's the date of National Chicken Finger Day, the creation of Raising Cane's restaurant chain — and the holiday has been putting competing restaurants on alert.

National Chicken Finger Day is the brainchild of Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves, who almost gave the chain a totally different and very confusing name. Graves created the holiday in 2010 as a way to celebrate the one item on the menu, which is, of course, chicken fingers. On this holiday, Raising Cane's is known to decorate its locations and give away food, plus post giveaways on social media. July 27 was officially trademarked as National Chicken Finger Day in 2019, and so far, the chain has given away more than 150,000 chicken fingers to customers. While the giveaway of free fingers started out as a perk for Raising Cane's Caniac Club members, as of 2025, the holiday deal is now available to any customer who purchases a Box Combo on the holiday.

You know you're in the big leagues when Snoop Dogg is involved. Raising Cane's got the legendary rapper to act as the official ambassador of National Chicken Finger Day in 2025. In an ad (via YouTube), Snoop pulls a Santa and delivers chicken fingers from a red convertible sleigh, wishing "happy Chicken Finger Day to all, and to all a good bite."

National Chicken Finger Day has also grabbed the attention of some competing restaurants who want a share of the attention. In July 2025, Wingstop filed a trademark application to register National Chicken Tender Day to take place on July 27, the exact same day as National Chicken Finger Day. "Wingstop is giving the finger to fingers and staking our claim on our distinctive crispy tenders that fans crave," said Wingstop's chief revenue officer, Mark Christenson, in a press release. Meanwhile, Florida-based Huey Magoo's had a National Chicken Finger Day deal where the chain gave away five free Tender Bites with the purchase of any three-piece or larger Tender Meal. Popeye's (which is responsible for the worst fast food signature sauce) and 7-Eleven also have been known to run deals for chicken freebies during the week of National Chicken Finger Day.