Todd Graves (born 1972) is an American entrepreneur and co-founder[1] of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a fast food restaurant specializing in fried chicken finger meals.
In 2023, Bloomberg estimated his net worth at $7.6 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the state of Louisiana and the 307th richest in the world.[2][3][4]
Graves and long-time friend Craig Silvey used Silvey's business plan course at LSU to create their business plan.[1]
Graves opened Raising Cane's near the North Gates of Louisiana State University on Highland Road in 1996.[1] By 2022, the company expanded to more than 600 restaurants in the U.S. and the Middle East.[6][7]
The restaurants are named after Raising Cane I, Graves’ dog at the time of founding the first restaurant. They are headquartered in Baton Rouge.[1]
Personal life
Graves and his wife, Gwen, have two children and reside in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with their yellow Labrador, Raising Cane III.[8]
Collections
An avid collector, Graves has loaned a 66-million-year-old triceratops skull to the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum.[9] He has also loaned the hearse that carried Martin Luther King, Jr. to exhibits across the country.[10]
References
^ a b c d eSayre, Alan (June 12, 2007). "Finger joint beat the odds on fish turf". Atlanta Constitution. pp. D3. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
^Tobin, Michael; Maloney, Tom (November 16, 2023). "Raising Cane's Founder Turns Chicken Fingers Into $7.6 Billion Fortune". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^Wells, Carlie (November 17, 2023). "Louisiana's richest person is Todd Graves, Bloomberg says". Axios. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^"Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg.com. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^"Episcopal School of Baton Rouge holds groundbreaking for field house". June 27, 2018.
^"A return to growth". July 5, 2022.
^"Raising Cane's in downtown East Lansing is on the way. Here's where the project stands".
^"Dog Days of Summer: Our tails are wagging for Todd Graves' new shelter pup and the entrants of this year's contest". July 3, 2022.
^Miller, Robin (February 29, 2016). "There's a 66 million-year-old triceratops in Baton Rouge". The Advocate.
^Miller, Robin (January 14, 2019). "Hearse that carried the body of Martin Luther King Jr. comes to Baton Rouge". The Advocate.