Todd Graves, Raising Cane's | David Senra - David Senra - Audio Brevity | Audio Brevity
Logo
David Senra
Todd Graves, Raising Cane's | David Senra
David Senra

Todd Graves, Raising Cane's | David Senra

Nov 9, 2025 119m
AI Summary Available

Get the full experience! Sign up to access transcripts, personalized summaries, and more features.

Get Started Free Sign In

Episode Description

Todd Graves is the founder and CEO of Raising Cane's, one of America's most successful and fastest-growing restaurant chains built on a radically simple concept that nearly everyone told him would fail. He is an entrepreneur and restaurateur widely regarded as one of the most determined founder-operators in the fast-food industry. Rising from rejection in the mid-1990s to building over 800 locations by the 2020s, he became known for his unwavering commitment to doing one thing better than anyone else—serving quality chicken finger meals with the exact same menu he launched in 1996. He became a household name in restaurant circles through his relentless focus on simplicity, his refusal to franchise or take on outside investors, and his missionary-like devotion to a business he calls his "chicken finger dream." His career highlights include getting the worst grade in his college business class for the Raising Cane's concept, working as a boilermaker in oil refineries and commercial fisherman in Alaska to fund his first restaurant after being rejected by every bank, opening the first Raising Cane's near LSU in 1996, maintaining over 90% ownership while growing to 900+ locations and billions in revenue by staying fanatically true to a menu that has remained virtually unchanged for three decades. Episode show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/todd-graves Made possible by Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com⁠ HubSpot: ⁠https://hubspot.com⁠ Function: https://functionhealth.com/senra Chapters (0:00) The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Sleep and Business Obsession (2:13) The Birth of Raising Cane's: Overcoming Skepticism (3:29) Inspiration from In-N-Out Burger (7:17) The Importance of Quality and Focus (14:49) The Journey to Success: Hard Work and Sacrifice (19:21) The Early Days: Building Raising Cane's from Scratch (21:23) Financing the Dream: Unconventional Paths (32:28) The Relentless Pursuit of Success (33:02) Commitment and Oaths: The Camping Trip (34:02) Fanaticism and Relentless Focus (34:53) Learning from Others and Continuous Improvement (35:06) The Never-Satisfied Mindset (36:04) The Importance of Founders in Business (39:55) The Purpose Beyond Profit (51:52) Financing the Dream: Credit Cards and SBA Loans (55:47) Building the First Restaurant (57:56) Expanding the Vision (58:59) Positive Motivational Management (1:00:51) Creating a Coaching Culture (1:01:42) Intrinsic Motivation vs. Titles (1:02:41) The Importance of Being Present (1:06:35) Respect, Recognition, and Rewards (1:09:12) The Power of Encouragement (1:18:10) The Myth of Delegation (1:22:57) Focus on What You Do Best (1:30:07) Dining at Giro in Tokyo (1:30:59) The Franchise Model Debate (1:32:50) Challenges of Franchising (1:35:21) Building a Business Authentic to You (1:37:07) Financing and Expansion Strategies (1:49:13) Surviving Hurricane Katrina (1:55:48) Lessons from Estee Lauder (1:58:06) Final Thoughts and Reflections Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to Episode

AI-Generated Summary

The Birth of Raising Cane's: Overcoming Skepticism

Todd Graves discusses the inception of Raising Cane's, emphasizing how most believed his concept centered around chicken fingers would fail. From rejection in the mid-90s to success in launching over 800 locations, his commitment to simplicity and quality is showcased.

Fanaticism and Focus on Quality

A significant theme throughout the conversation is Todd's unwavering commitment to quality. He believes in focusing on a singular product, chicken fingers, which allows for refined operational execution, efficient service, and ultimately customer satisfaction.

The Importance of Staying in Details and Adaptability

Todd underscores the value of being detail-oriented and involved in every aspect of the business. His insights into operations, managing his team, and ensuring quality control are critical for Raising Cane's success. Adapting to challenges, whether from natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or economic downturns like the COVID-19 pandemic, shows the resilience that has helped the brand thrive.

Lessons from Failures and Successful Foundations

Throughout the podcast, Todd shares various personal experiences from his career journey. These include lessons learned from failures, the importance of intrinsic motivation, and valuing community and customer relationships, combined with a relentless dedication to improving both service and product.

The Franchise Model Debate

Todd discusses his initial inclination toward franchising but ultimately concludes that maintaining company-owned restaurants allows for greater control over quality and operations, which is crucial for brand consistency and customer satisfaction.

Building a Business Authentic to You

The conversation wraps up with reflections on building a business authentic to one's values. Todd emphasizes that success requires passion and dedication to ensure that the founders can navigate through the ups and downs of entrepreneurial life.

Ready to get started?

Join other podcast enthusiasts who are getting podcast summaries.

Sign Up Free