Last Thursday, Columbia’s Kingsmen ushered in a new era of 2 am sweet tea and chicken fingers, singing at the opening of a new Raising Canes near campus.

’Twas the night before Christmas. I sat pensively beneath the heavenly illuminated tree wondering if my one true wish would come true. This wish, of course, was for a Raising Cane’s to open on 111th and Broadway. But more than that, it was for the Kingsmen, Columbia’s royalist a cappella group, to perform at said opening. And Santa, the benevolent gift giver he is, decided to grant me that wish on Thursday night.

Arriving early, anticipating large ravenous crowds, I weaved my way through students, families, and smiling Cane’s workers to find my friends. My friends had already decimated their Box Combos (a popular Cane’s order that includes chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw, Cane’s sauce, Texas toast, and sweet tea). For a brief moment, my little vegetarian heart felt a pang of jealousy, but it was quickly resolved when I remembered what I would soon be feasting on—Texas toast. There is something truly magical about Cane’s Texas toast, likely explained by lots of butter, a taste and texture that never fails to comfort me. After securing my toast, I heard the melodic voices of the Kingsmen and quickly scurried outside.

The Kingsmen were on fire even with the gloomy weather. Kingsmen president Jonathan Menzel (CC ‘26) set the scene confidently and soloists, including Aditya Phatak (SEAS ‘26), Morgan Chow (CC ‘27), and Adler Rice (CC ‘28), kept the energy up. They sang a capella classics like Brown Eyed Girl and New York, New York. Some of the songs were altered to fit the occasion like Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You, replacing “at long last love has arrived” with “at long last Cane’s has arrived.” Needless to say, the vibes were great. Passersby stopped to smell the Cane’s, smile, chuckle, and continue their evening. Students gathered around and cheered for their friends.

When asked what his thoughts on the performance were, Kingsman Ryan Crawford (CC ‘27) voiced his gratitude and said, “I think the chicken made us sound even better.” Another Kingsman, Adler Rice (CC ‘28), explained his personal connection to the restaurant that hails from his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Singing with his fellow Kingsmen at the opening of a restaurant from his hometown, Rice beamed from ear to ear. “It makes me feel even more at home at Columbia.”

Although it’s barely September, the Kingsmen x Canes crossover was truly a Christmas miracle, and one I am sincerely glad I witnessed.

Cane’s via Zora Day-Friedland