Idahoans compare this new Meridian restaurant to Raising Cane’s. Next? Boise and Nampa

Guthrie’s has lifted its first finger in Idaho.

Beating coveted chain Raising Cane’s to the punch, Alabama-based Guthrie’s opened the Gem State’s first chicken tender-specialized restaurant Jan. 26 in Meridian.

Located in a newly constructed building with a drive-thru at 1840 W. Chinden Blvd., Guthrie’s is an unknown commodity to most Idahoans. The “golden fried chicken fingers” sign outside will help educate.

If you peruse the handful of reviews online so far, you’ll see that customers who have visited already are comparing it to Raising Cane’s.

That’s typical, acknowledged Guthrie’s restaurant co-owner Ronnie Boyles, sitting in a booth at the Meridian store. A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Boyles is visiting to help expand Guthrie’s regional footprint.

“We’re basing our West Coast office in Boise,” he says. At least 100 additional locations could open in Western states within the next several years, Boyles says. Guthrie’s restaurants in Boise and Nampa are coming soon.

Guthrie’s was founded in 1965 — decades before Louisiana-based Raising Cane’s. It’s “the OG in chicken fingers,” as QSR magazine puts it. The food at Guthrie’s, Boyles says with a smile, has been “often imitated, but never duplicated.”

The simple menu gets straight to the point: chicken fingers. The most popular order is a “gut box,” in Guthrie’s jargon: chicken fingers, fries, cole slaw, Texas toast and dipping sauce. Three main combo boxes are priced by number of fingers: $9.99 for four, $12.09 for five, $14.09 for six. There’s also a tender sandwich meal ($8.99), a kid’s meal ($5.99), a massive bucket of fingers ($37.99) and a Family Meal ($49.99).

Guthrie’s sells Coca-Cola products. But for a taste of the South, order sweet tea. (And that tea is sweet.) You can even buy a gallon for $4.99.

When I grabbed food on a recent weekday, Guthrie’s tasty chicken was cooked just right (and served in a Styrofoam container whether you’re dining in or grabbing takeout). The Texas toast is addictive. (Just be sure you like salt.) Served nice and cool, the cole slaw is refreshing and above average. The fries? Fairly soft (although I’d let them sit several minutes before the first bite). As for Guthrie’s signature dipping sauce? No, it’s not Idaho-style fry sauce, but it’s a creamy cousin. There’s Worcestershire sauce and black pepper kick in it, too.

“First time ever having Guthrie’s, it did not disappoint,” wrote one Google reviewer about the Meridian restaurant. “Everything we got was delicious, love the sauce!”

You can buy extra sauce for 59 cents — but try a few bites of chicken without it. Or alternate. You might be surprised.

Sauce is a key to Raising Cane’s poultry magic, too. But Idahoans will be waiting to taste that. Cane’s is evaluating three potential Gem State sites, but no stores are set to open here in 2024.

By then, it might be getting late. A total of three Guthrie’s locations could be rocking the Treasure Valley by the end of this year.

In Boise, Guthrie’s is targeting an April 1 opening in a remodeled former bank building at 1103 S. Vista Ave., Boyles says. And Nampa will get a Guthrie’s near the Carl’s Jr. restaurant on 12th Avenue Road. It could be open by late 2024, he says.

In the meantime, business should tick up at the Meridian restaurant as more Idahoans sense something interesting cooking.

The restaurant is clean. The staff is friendly. Among all the fast-food options in the world, it’s hard to argue with Guthrie’s.

“We just want to do our part and keep people happy,” Boyles says.

This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 12:26 PM.