Rapidly-expanding Toronto chicken finger chain is Canada's answer to Raising Cane's
A fast-growing chicken finger chain in Toronto is gaining a reputation as Canada's own version of Raising Cane's: a badge that its founder wears with honour.
Naomi Kempkes, co-founder and president of Toronto's buzzy Honestly Good Chicken Fingers, had already enjoyed a fruitful career in the restaurant industry by the time she and her husband, CEO Stephen Czetyrbok in 2020, began brainstorming ventures of their own.
Beginning as a host and working her way up to GM at a series of restaurants starting when she was 18, Kempkes tells blogTO that her teams became like a second family to her. That, coupled with her admission, "I just love food," told her the restaurant industry was where she was meant to be.
But when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and everyone suddenly found themselves with a lot of extra time on their hands, she and Czetyrbok began dreaming up ways to start their very own restaurant concept.
"We did some research and discovered that chicken fingers were the number one item ordered off of any menu, particularly from people 18 years and younger. And we're like, 'That's amazing. Why don't we just build something super simple?'"
Two years of conceptualizing and another two years of R&D later, Honestly Good Chicken Fingers was born. Though the duo signed their first lease with Cadillac Fairview for a location at Sherway Gardens, a sudden invitation to open their concept at the Well's then-newly minted food hall came up suddenly and manifested quicker.
In June 2024, the first location of Honestly Good Chicken Fingers opened at The Well. A month and one week later, Sherway Gardens opened, too.
"I have never worked harder in my entire life, but I also think when you build something you're passionate about, it comes with some sacrifice, and that meant evenings and weekends and days off, but we were just proud to build something that was our own, so we were willing to put the work in," Kempkes tells blogTO.
Now, two years in, the chain boasts four locations in the GTA, with two more, Collingwood and Kitchener, on the way; it's safe to say the hard work has paid off.
Honestly Good Chicken Fingers has become a local phenomenon. The family-friendly approach to dining (Kempkes points out that most of the other chicken finger businesses in town lean to the Nashville Hot side, while HG keeps things more approachable), the perfectly-seasoned tenders that don't suffer the curse of slippy breading, and the incessant online buzz have all promised the business isn't going anywhere, any time soon.
They've also drawn comparisons to another internet-breaking chicken finger business south of the border.
"Everybody started saying, 'Oh my gosh, you guys are like Raising Cane's,'" Kempkes tells blogTO.
It's easy to see the parallels. Sizeable tenders and light, crispy breading, crinkle-cut fries and an assortment of show-stopping dipping sauces are all hallmarks of both chicken finger chains, but in Kempkes' opinion at least, there's a clear winner.
"We were down in Florida last year, I believe, and we had it for the first time. I definitely can note some similarities, but I do think that our product stands out. And I mean, I may be biased, but I do think we have a better product."
Still, she says, she views the comparison to Raising Cane's as an "amazing compliment." If people love Honestly Good Chicken Fingers half as much as they love Cane's, though they may already, Kempkes and Czetyrbok will know they got it right.
And, in the future, there may be the opportunity to do a true side-by-side comparison between the two tender businesses. Kempkes tells blogTO that her goal for the future of Honestly Good is to grow it as broadly and as sustainably as possible, both within Canada and into the United States.
"We have had so much interest in franchising, so we are currently working on franchising agreements, both in the U.S. and Canada," Kempkes tells blogTO.
"It would be nice to see a Canadian brand kind of go head to head with Raising Cane's in the States, and I think that that's the goal."
For now, you can find Honestly Good Chicken Fingers at The Well, Sherway Gardens, Stock Yards Village and Vaughan Mills.
