Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers’ Post

Out today! My Forbes cover story on Todd Graves, the chicken finger billionaire behind Raising Cane's, one of America's hottest fast-food chains. Last year sales hit $5.1 billion, or $6.6 million per store, which absolutely crushes nearly every other major U.S. chain. It's a perfect Forbes success story: Banks didn't believe in Graves' idea for a restaurant serving only chicken fingers, so he worked as a boilermaker in Los Angeles and hitchhiked across the Alaskan tundra to join the dangerous sockeye salmon fishing trade—all to save up cash to open his first store. Then he doubled down, opening location after location with a risky financing plan that allowed him to keep as much equity in the business as possible. Graves owns 92% of Raising Cane's today, placing his net worth at $22 billion. He ranks #46 on this year's Forbes 400 list, in the same financial league as Jerry Jones and Rupert Murdoch—all from stubbornly serving just five items: chicken fingers, fries, slaw, toast and a single sauce. Todd was gracious enough to show me around Baton Rouge, from his first restaurant, to his nearby apartment-turned-first-headquarters, to his 5,000-square-foot guest house (with Elvis' piano in the living room and an $11 million Picasso on the mantel), to his $400,000 treehouse (complete with its own bathroom). We discussed everything from chasing your dreams to growing a business to giving back to the community. "What I think makes Cane's different is it's led by a founder," he told me. "I take it personally that I'm feeding people's kids." Read the full Forbes cover story here: https://lnkd.in/ephjw3BQ