Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers


Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken fingers founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey on August 26, 1996.

History

Todd Graves and Craig Silvey, who were enrolled in a business plan writing course at LSU at the time, wrote the business plan and Silvey submited it, for which he received a C-minus. The business plan was rejected numerous times by potential investors, so Graves earned the needed money by working in refineries in California and fishing for sockeye salmon in Alaska. He and Silvey obtained an SBA loan which they used to open the first restaurant in Baton Rouge at the intersection of Highland Road and State Street near the LSU campus.
Many restaurants switched from dine-ins to pick-up and take away in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, while others closed completely. As of July, some locations have reopened dining rooms although Todd Graves said the company is in no rush to do so.
Cane's Sauce is made in 5-gallon buckets, using 80 ounces of Worcestershire, 15 pounds each of ketchup and mayonnaise, 6 ounces of ground black pepper, and 6 ounces of garlic powder. It is then thoroughly mixed and ideally placed in the cooler at 40ºF for 1-2 days before being sold.

Mascot

Graves' original dog was Raising Cane, a yellow labrador. The current dog is Raising Cane III, adopted in January 2018.

International Expansion

The chain first began expanding internationally in 2015, opening its first restaurant in Kuwait. The namesake mascot, a dog, is not seen on signage and merchandise, as dogs are not popular in Kuwait.

Menu

Raising Cane's offers a limited menu consisting of four main combos: "The Box Combo," "The 3-Finger Combo," "The Caniac Combo," and "The Sandwich Combo." It also includes a Kid's Meal and several sizes of bulk chicken items.
The company marinates chicken tenderloins and fries in canola oil. The menu includes french fries, Texas toast and cole slaw.