On Aug. 10 the official Raising Cane’s Twitter account tweeted “A box Combo – no slaw, extra toast. How do you Box Combo?”

Even Cane’s knows its most popular order includes substituting coleslaw for one of its better, more popular menu items. Coleslaw has had a place on the menu of the famous Baton Rouge chain since it opened in 1996, but just because it has been around for a long time does not mean that it deserves a place on today’s menu.

I do not like coleslaw. I think the texture and flavor of the classic side is repulsing, and I am not alone in that opinion. If you’ve ever seen the viral video “How to properly eat coleslaw,” you know the best way to chow down is to throw it in the trash. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame posted this video to Twitter where it was retweeted over 3,600 times.

Part of Raising Cane’s business plan is to have as few menu items as possible to ease the ordering process. With this business plan, there’s no room for weak or unpopular items on the menu. For a company with this strategy, it seems ridiculous to keep any even somewhat unpopular items.  

Let’s face it: coleslaw is not at the top of many people’s list when it comes to preferred sides. Coleslaw is used as an unnecessary filler side to beef up the contents of larger combos that come with more food. The three finger combo automatically comes with fries and toast but does not include coleslaw, which indicates the company believes most of its customers prefer the other two sides. Wait in line at any Cane’s and you are guaranteed to hear people substituting extra toast, extra fries or extra sauce instead of coleslaw.

The goal of Raising Cane’s is to “do one thing, and…do it better than everyone else,” founder Todd Graves said in an interview with Business Report.  However, Chick-fil-A the number one fast food chicken brand in the United States and major competitor of Raising Cane’s, recently made the decision to get rid of coleslaw for good.

In January 2016, Chick-fil-A permanently removed coleslaw from its menu and replaced it with a “superfood side salad.” The decision did cause some social media backlash, but according to David Farmer, senior vice president of menu development for Chick-fil-A, sales of the superfood salad passed sales of coleslaw in just six months.

Over the past few years, Raising Cane’s has expanded to over 330 locations in over 20 states with no signs of slowing down and are aiming to dominate the market. If they have any hopes of surpassing Chick-fil-A and becoming the number one chicken franchise in America, Raising Cane’s should take a cue from their competitors and take coleslaw off the menu for good.

Anna Coleman is a 19-year-old mass communication junior from Kennesaw, Georgia.