Who Owns Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers?

Todd Graves conceived the business plan for a chicken-finger-only restaurant as a Louisiana State University student in the mid-1990s; his professor gave the plan a B-minus, and banks rejected it. Undeterred, Graves worked as a boilermaker and then on an Alaskan fishing boat to save startup capital, and with friend Craig Silvey renovated a former bakery near the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

The first Raising Cane's opened August 28, 1996, named after Graves' yellow Labrador. The concept was radically narrow for fast food: chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw, and a signature Cane's sauce, nothing else. Silvey departed in 1999, leaving Graves in sole control.

Growth was organic and disciplined through the 2000s, expanding through Louisiana and into Texas and other southern states. The chain passed 100 locations in the early 2010s. The 2016 GSO Capital investment accelerated company-owned expansion, an unusual choice since Cane's grew largely through corporate stores rather than franchising.

The 2020s brought explosive growth: the chain passed 500, then 800, then 900 locations, opened its first international restaurants in the Middle East and announced entry into markets including the UK, and watched system sales surge past $5 billion. Graves became one of fast food's most prominent founders, investing in entertainment partnerships and famously buying lottery tickets for all 50,000 employees in 2022. AJ Kumaran was elevated to co-CEO in 2021 as the chain scaled toward a stated goal of 1,600-plus locations.