Sometimes, making billions is just a matter of doing one thing — and doing it really well. That’s the playbook Todd Graves, founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s, has followed. With a menu that barely breaks five items — chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw, Texas toast and a cult-favorite sauce — the chain still managed to pull in $5.1 billion in revenue in 2024, according to financial records reported by Forbes.
With 900 locations across 42 states, Cane’s has become more than a fast food joint — it’s a brand movement. Graves credits the company’s success to a focused menu, a loyal fanbase and a marketing strategy that leans hard on celebrity shoutouts and viral social media moments.
His business savviness even landed him in the Shark Tank — literally. Graves guest-starred on two episodes last fall.
“I’m a social media machine,” he said during a pitch. “I’ve got a whole team behind me that helps me with these things and I live it every day. I’ll get your product out there and I’ll help you expand it for low acquisition costs.”
Here’s how Graves made one key value — simplicity — scalable, and what you can learn from the sauce-fueled success of Raising Cane’s.
Before Raising Cane’s became a billion-dollar brand, Graves was just another scrappy dreamer with a chicken-finger vision and no one willing to fund it. Banks said no. Investors passed. A college professor gave his business plan the lowest grade in class. But Graves didn’t let a few Fs and financial gatekeepers deep-fry his dream.
To fund his vision, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He worked as a boilermaker in a Los Angeles oil refinery and spent 20-hour days fishing sockeye salmon in Alaska, socking away every paycheck. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was enough. He scraped together savings and secured a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan to open the first Raising Cane’s near Louisiana State University in 1996.
Graves’ path proves that discipline and determination can do what investors won’t — turn a back-of-the-napkin idea into a billion-dollar brand. Nearly 70% of small business owners rely on personal savings to get started, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It’s not always glamorous but building a financial cushion can be the first step to building something much bigger.