A restaurant that only serves chicken fingers is the latest fast food chain to announce opening a Memphis location. Raising Cane’s, based in Louisiana, was founded by Todd Graves. Graves came up with the idea in college but his business plan received the lowest grade in the class because the professor said it would not work. Little did his professor know that his business plan would help Graves become one of the most successful fast food restaurant owners today.
Todd Graves was born in New Orleans, but then moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana growing up on gumbo and red beans and rice. He went to college at LSU and received a BS in business administration. During college Graves worked as a fry cook, a job not meant for everyone, but it inspired the idea to start an all chicken fast food restaurant on the LSU campus.

Graves’ college professor wasn’t the only one who didn’t have faith in his business plan. When he attempted to get loans from the bank to fund his first restaurant, they laughed at him and told him that no one in Louisiana would want to go to his restaurant. Little did anyone know that his all chicken restaurant would turn into one of the fastest growing restaurant chains.

Since Graves stayed true to his vision, Raising Cane’s is one of the few founder-led restaurant companies of its size. An exact location has not been released yet, but Molly Wonderies might be the first in line at the new location. “When I used to live in Jackson, there were Raising Cane’s everywhere! I can’t wait for them to open their new restaurant in Memphis because I have missed it so much!”