How I Built This with Guy Raz

Raising Cane's: Todd Graves

Apr 25, 2022

Todd Graves, Founder and CEO of Raising Cane's, shares his journey from an aspiring restaurateur to leading a multi-billion dollar chicken finger empire. He discusses the struggles of securing funding, including braving two tough jobs to finance his dream. Todd emphasizes sticking to core values despite pressures to diversify the menu. He also reflects on the importance of quality ingredients and how inspiration from In-N-Out Burger shaped his vision. With over 600 locations, he reveals secrets behind their success and the iconic cane sauce recipe.

01:22:46

Episode guests

Todd Graves

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Rapid Expansion and Franchising in the Restaurant Business

02:02

Challenges of Family Business in the Restaurant Industry

01:19

Creating a Unique Business Plan and Fundraising Strategy

02:05

Challenging beginnings and late-night openings

01:59

Intro

2min

From Idea to Success: The Journey of a Fast Food Entrepreneur

5min

Growing Up Multidimensional: Sports, Academics, and the Arts

2min

From Passion to Professional: The Journey to Chicken Restaurant Success

22min

Sticking to Core Values: A Fast-Food Vision

4min

From Dreams to Realities: Funding a Restaurant

9min

From Boilermaker to Chicken Finger Entrepreneur

11min

From Love to Leadership: The Restaurant Journey

10min

Navigating Growth and Partnership Challenges

6min

10.

Navigating Growth and Challenges in Expansion

17min

11.

Secrets of a Fried Chicken Recipe and Engaging Podcast Insights

3min

By his early 20s, Todd Graves knew exactly what he wanted to do—open a restaurant near Louisiana State University that would make four things better than anyone else: chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and coleslaw. After he and his partner Craig Silvey got rejected from every bank in Baton Rouge, Todd set out to fund his dream by working two treacherous jobs; first at an oil refinery and then on an Alaskan fishing boat. With roughly $150,000, he remodeled an old bike shop and opened his first restaurant in 1996. As word spread, Todd began building more restaurants, fueling the expansion on a rickety system of loans, and dreaming of making Cane’s as ubiquitous as McDonald's. Over the years, he has retained ownership of the business and watched it grow to over 600 stores, with 3 billion dollars in sales projected this year.

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