thank you, come again

Alex Bregman swaps bat for headset as he mans Raising Cane's drive-thru and counter

Houston Astros All Star Alex Bregman has definitely earned some time off after absolutely mashing on August 29 against the Boston Red Sox with a home run and three hits to lead the Stros in a big win. So how did he spend his day off this week? Working the drive-thru.

The All Star with a famed work ethic and passion for connecting with fans worked the drive-through and counter at Raising Cane’s in west Houston in the late morning of Thursday, August 31. Cars on Westheimer near the beltway lined up long before Bregman took the window at 10 am. While they were expecting the All Star and two-time World Series champion at the drive-thru, they may not have been prepared for his mad rhymes as he handed them bags of chicken tenders.

"Chicken, chicken, what combo you pickin'?" Bregman asked a guest through his headset, a line that Cane’s should immediately adopt as mandatory for staff.

Then it was the main counter, where Bregman greeted customers, took their orders, and got tips from shift managers. The steely eyed Bregman, known for his ice-cold game demeanor, was noticeably stressed as he made sure folks got their Cane’s chicken.

"Pressure is a privilege," he told CultureMap as he manned the counter, with a relieved "whew" when he was told he did an admirable job fielding chicken and drink orders. Perhaps his stress at the counter was due to Astros mascot Orbit, who snuck in and tried to upstage Bregman as an order taker.

Bregman then posed for photos with fans, joined by the Astros Shooting Stars dancers, that rascal Orbit, and Cane’s staff. Lucky fans — including a cheery group wearing Louisiana State University (his alma mater) shirts — and Cane’s employees posed with Bregman with the 2022 World Series Championship trophy. Speaking of lucky fans, a lucky one scored two free tickets to an upcoming Astros game.

"The minute I stepped on campus at LSU I loved eating at Raising Cane’s," Bregman told the media after his shift was over. (Let's hope for his sake he clocked out first.) "There's a lot of pressure because there's a long line and you gotta get it rollin," he said of his shift. "It's fun, though — I had a good time. I definitely need some more work back there."

We're not sure what's more impressive: Bregman's recent mashing or his drive-thru order at Raising Cane’s. "Box combo," he quickly fired back when asked about his go-to Cane’s meal. "I like the box combo — extra toast. I'll go through the drive-thru and order like 10 toasts and dip it in the Cane’s sauce.

We asked Bregman how he'd feel about a Breggy Bomb/Cane’s collab. "Oh, I wish — that would be incredible," he said with a smile. "But, I eat both." (Memo to Tyler Straub of Breggy Bomb: we can handle royalties for our idea later.)

Back in 2018, we reported on Bregman documenting his random acts of kindness on Youtube with fast food and restaurant staffers; he tipped a waitress at Moonshiner's $500 and randomly surprised fast food drive-thru staff with $100 gifts. What about a surprise gift trip to a Cane’s, drive-thru, Alex?

Photo by Raising Cane's

Bregman manned the drive-thru and surprised customers.

'Oh, we may have to bring back the drive-thru video and do it at Cane’s," he replied with a grin.

income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family