Two new restaurants opened in Santa Monica in early June, filling vacant storefronts on two of the city's busiest commercial strips. The Raising Cane's location alone added about 100 jobs.

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers cut the ribbon at 1401 Third Street Promenade on Tuesday, June 10, becoming the first major fast-food chain to open on the Promenade since the City Council permanently eliminated its chain-restaurant ban in August 2025. The Win~Dow, a Venice-born smashburger concept, opened its seventh location at 930 Montana Ave. the day before, on Monday, June 9.

Mayor Caroline Torosis attended the Raising Cane's opening, where customers had lined up since 8 p.m. the night before.

"We are so excited about how many folks have been apparently lined up since 8 p.m. last night to get their chicken," Torosis said, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. "From an economic development perspective, the city's been working really hard on returning economic activity to our downtown."

Torosis said the location created about 100 local jobs. Dustin Fossum, the Raising Cane's Santa Monica general manager and a local resident, said his team pushed to open the Promenade location quickly after securing the former Bibimbap space. The Louisiana-based chain operates more than 1,000 locations worldwide and counts California as its second-largest market with more than 100 stores statewide.

Inside, disco-ball surfboards crafted by a local artisan hang from the ceiling, and a mural of the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel spans one wall. The restaurant donated $1,000 each to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Education Foundation on opening day. Hours run daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.

On Montana Ave., The Win~Dow took over the former Go Get Em Tiger coffee shop space. Founded in Venice in March 2019 by Paul Hibler and Jeff Goodman, the chain started as a walk-up window attached to their Rose Avenue steakhouse, American Beauty. Its signature smashburger — a flat-top griddled patty with American cheese, pickles, and pink house sauce on a potato bun — runs about $4.50. The 50-seat location was designed by the Klein Agency and features murals by Los Angeles artist KC Haxton.

The openings arrive as the Promenade sits at about 76% occupancy, according to a Downtown Santa Monica Inc. report cited by the Santa Monica Daily Press. More chain dining is in the pipeline: Taco Bell has filed permits for a Cantina-format restaurant at 318 Santa Monica Blvd., and Downtown Santa Monica Inc. has cited upcoming openings of HQ Gastropub and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed pizzeria among near-term additions.