Founders

#383 Todd Graves and his $10 Billion Chicken Finger Dream

Mar 17, 2025

Todd Graves shares his incredible journey from a college project to leading a $10 billion fast-food empire, focusing solely on chicken fingers. Despite countless rejections and challenges, he emphasized resilience and a simple philosophy: do one thing and do it better than anyone else. His unique approach prioritizes quality, operational simplicity, and crew well-being, fostering an innovative work culture. From leveraging personal stakes to navigating crises like Hurricane Katrina, Todd's story inspires aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams relentlessly.

01:08:07

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Quick takeaways

Todd Graves exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit by overcoming skepticism and adversity to build Raising Cane's into a billion-dollar brand.

The success of Raising Cane's is attributed to its focused menu, demonstrating that excelling at one thing enhances quality and customer loyalty.

Graves emphasizes that resilient leadership and community engagement can transform crises into growth opportunities, reinforcing the importance of adaptability in business.

Deep dives

The Importance of Staying in the Details

Successful entrepreneurs often emphasize the significance of being detail-oriented in their businesses. Todd Graves, founder of Raising Cane's, illustrates this by sharing insights from his friend's billion-dollar shipping company, where attention to even small costs, such as bottled water, is critical. This mindset aligns with historical figures like Andrew Carnegie, who viewed cost control as an obsession. Graves argues that the success of his own venture is rooted in his deep understanding of every aspect of his business, a principle embodied by Ramp's expense management solutions.

Cultivate Joy for Peak Performance

01:03

Intro

3min

The Drive Behind Success: Personal Stakes and Determination

2min

Simplicity in Success

7min

From College Plan to Billion-Dollar Brand

19min

Navigating the Restaurant Expansion Journey

9min

The Founder’s Philosophy: People and Purpose

28min

Todd Graves is one of my favorite living entrepreneurs. He's a great example of Charlie Munger's maxim: Find a simple idea and take it seriously. Todd wanted to create a quick service restaurant that only focused on quality chicken finger meals and nothing else. Everyone told him that couldn't possibly work. The college paper that described the idea that would turn into Raising Canes got the lowest grade in the class. Banks wouldn't loan him any money —but nothing could stop Todd from living out his "chicken finger dream." He worked 95 hour weeks as a boilermaker, risked his life on a commercial fishing boat off the coast of Alaska, and scrounged up startup money from his bookie and a guy named Wild Bill. Todd made every mistake in the book, over leveraged himself, almost lost everything and yet he refused to give up or sell out. Today he has over 800 locations, 50,000 employees, and owns 90% of a business that's worth at least $10 billion. Todd's maxim is "Do one thing and do it better than anyone else."

Sources:

Trading Secrets: Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves reveals his path to building the wildly popular restaurant

Theo Von: Raising Cane’s Founder Todd Graves

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