How Raising Cane's Protects Its Very Secret Sauce

Coca-Cola is far from the only company with a closely guarded secret recipe. Fast-growing chicken chain Raising Cane's is also on the list, and the Wall Street Journal takes a dive into its famous sauce. The sole physical copy, handwritten by co-founder Craig Silvey three decades ago, is kept in a safe in an unspecified location, per the paper, and that's just one layer of security. Only managers are allowed to make the salmon-colored sauce in-store, and they must sign nondisclosure agreements beforehand—not that they have a ton of specifics to disclose. The sauce is made "from unidentified ingredients that are shipped to their locations in bags of unknown quantities," per the Journal, and the spice blend arrives premixed.

As one former Raising Cane's manager puts in: "Everyone who walked by would have sneezing attacks because there is a crap ton of pepper. Besides that, I have no idea what else goes into it." Ketchup, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce are also allegedly in the mix, and copycat attempts abound (fans say Walmart's private-label Chicken Finger Dipping Sauce gets it about right). But Raising Cane's execs insist the real recipe remains as elusive as it is popular: The company now goes through roughly 800 million 4-ounce servings each year.