American fast food restaurant Raising Cane's has Australians in a chokehold. It all started with viral car mukbangs on TikTok.
The need is so strong that local restaurants have been taking matters into their own hands and coming up with "dupes" for Raising Cane's most popular meals. Thank goodness for initiative!
Zara — our resident Raising Cane's expert and BuzzFeed Australia social producer — headed out in Sydney in the name of delicious, mouthwatering research. On her "To-Try" list were three Sydney restaurants going viral for their dupes — Flappy's Fried Chicken, Pappa Flock and Kerbside Eatery.
Here's the verdict:
At each spot, Zara ordered a similar meal to what's seen in the viral Raising Cane's mukbangs — three tenders, fries/chips, toast and of course, the decadent sauce.
First up, Pappa Flock!
Before walking into Pappa Flock, Zara had heard it was "the best" Raising Cane's dupe.
The chicken tenders were juicy and coated with a crispy, yummy batter, which paired very well with the extra coleslaw.
But when it came to overall similarity, it wasn't exactly what she expected.
It missed the mark on the sauce, which Zara said "tasted nothing like Raising Cane's", but still had good flavour regardless.
The toast was a little too buttery for her liking, but the meal was saved by the thick-cut chips. She also tried the lemonade, and liked that it elevated the buttery taste from the toast without being too sickly sweet.
Next, Flappy's Fried Chicken!
Zara began with the sauce this time, and Flappy's scored immediate points for the cup size amount of it — just like the ungodly serving from Cane's. "This is as close as I think you could get to the OG sauce," Zara said. "It was incredible."
Now, let's talk about the chicken that prompted Zara to look into the camera with eyes wide open, surprised and happy.
Just look at this spread...
And finally, to round out the dupes — Kerbside Eatery!
Much like Flappy's, the chicken was juicy and actually "tasted exactly like Raising Cane's", according to Zara. But overall, she only rated nine out of 10.
Now let's chat about the fries. Although they "tasted nothing like Raising Cane's" crinkle cut chips, they still scored a 10 out of 10 on the yummy scale.
Now, we've heard that a certain Melbourne burger joint has started slinging out another Raising Cane's dupe. Yes, we're looking at you College Dropout Burgers. Should we give it a try?
What other fast food restaurants do you want to see dupes of Down Under?
Let us know in the comments below!