The reverence for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and its famous Box Combo seems to grow by the day, as does the potential for aggressive expansion. Spend even a few minutes on a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers social account and you’re bound to encounter fans begging for a restaurant in their hometown.
Calls for new Raising Cane’s locations are definitely being heard; the beloved restaurant chain East open new restaurants. He East find new audiences with whom to share its iconic chicken fingers, toast and sauce. East reach new heights as a business.
The brand isn’t looking to grow at any cost, though. It’s not sacrificing anything about itself—from its commitment to local communities to its human-centric culture to its “One Love” for exceptionally high-quality chicken finger dishes—in order to grow its reach faster.
“We’re opening about 100 restaurants in a 12-month period now, and the reason we’re doing that is we feel comfortable opening 100. great restaurants with great crews and great “We pride ourselves on being able to develop different cultures, and then being able to be successful in active community involvement,” owner Todd Graves said at the opening of the brand’s new flagship restaurant in Nashville on Wednesday, June 26.
While some popular brands make growth their goal, Cane’s focuses on grow with purpose.
“Everywhere we go, I like to be a part of the community. I like to give back to the community,” Graves said.
One look at the new Nashville flagship proves that this claim is not empty rhetoric. It is immediately and clearly evident in every facet of the brand’s design, restaurant experience and operational strategy.
The new restaurant is unwaveringly faithful to Nashville culture And The Raising Cane’s vision. It offers everything fans have come to love about the Raising Cane’s experience — but with a decidedly Nashville twist. With its walls decorated with rhinestones and iconic country music memorabilia, the restaurant isn’t just any Raising Cane’s building in Nashville. Instead, it’s the Nashville version of Raising canes.
For those familiar with Raising Cane’s, it’s no surprise that the brand chose Nashville for its new flagship store. Cane’s has a well-known resonance with the country music community, and Graves has developed long-standing friendships with some of the genre’s biggest stars. The restaurant even hosted country music stars for a party on the eve of its official launch. Still, Graves’ comments about the flagship store reveal a particular excitement about establishing a new base in the Nashville community.
“To me, it’s a really special place because that street, Broadway, reminds me of people chasing their dreams,” Graves says. “It reminds me of my own story. I had a dream, and I was told that a restaurant that only had chicken fingers wouldn’t work… (and) all the banks said no. So I knew I had to raise money myself. I went to Los Angeles and worked as a boilermaker in refineries, doing shift work. Then I went fishing in Alaska. It was dangerous work, but I just wanted to raise that money to open my first Raising Cane’s… we now have 800 locations, an incredible team, and I have a platform to give people good jobs and opportunities to grow. The money we make can be reinvested into helping people in the communities. That’s exactly what it symbolizes to me.”
In tribute to this important connection, Graves expressed his company’s commitment to enhancing, rather than detracting, the spirit of Broadway.
“I hope the people of Nashville will see that we’ve built a beautiful building, a beautiful facade, that we’ve done everything we can to make it look first class,” Graves said. “We’re going to keep every piece of trash outside our restaurant clean. We’re going to have a nice, friendly place for people to come… the service is going to be great and the food is going to be great. We’ve got a reasonably priced meal that people can come and enjoy while they go see each of these great bands… and get right back to the music. That’s kind of where we belong here.”
Coupled with the brand’s fundamental commitment to give backand it’s clear that Raising Cane’s growth strategy is about adding value rather than simply selling products into new communities.
“Then you have to ask yourself, what are you giving back to our communities, how are you helping to support them?” So for each of these neighborhoods, we set goals: “Where do we need to support and what do we need to do as a business owner in this community?” Graves added. “That does two things. One, you have a goal: You want to be a real, integrated part (of each community). Two, you’re never going to be local, people are never going to accept you as a chain, unless you act locally.”
In discussing this multifaceted commitment, Graves emphasized the importance of culture to the Raising Cane’s mindset – and to its continued success. Caring for the team, who in turn enthusiastically care for the restaurant guests at every Cane’s location, is at the foundation of that culture.
“How can we make sure that the journey that our team members have with us is one that allows them to thrive, and that’s fun and rewarding,” Graves explained of the brand’s employee experience philosophy. “When I first started Raising Cane’s, it was different than when I was working in restaurants, which was do this, do that. There was no music, and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want that. I want to have a good time… we’re going to have fun, we’re going to play music, we’re going to wear casual uniforms, we’re going to have a good time.’”
Employee recognition is essential to this experience; Graves wants to ensure his team receives genuine support and appreciation from management.
“It’s critical to make sure the team is always treated well and appreciated,” Graves said. “We have a department called Cane’s Love, it’s an entire department that works on respect, recognition and rewards. We’ve had that department since our 10th location.”
With this employee experience in place, Graves is confident his teams will be able to earn Customers’ money will be rewarded with great food and service. This performance will generate visible enthusiasm among customers, which will add to the fun and joy of working at a Raising Cane’s establishment.
Sure, it’s pretty common to talk about brand authenticity, community-focused thinking, and employee-centricity in the business world. What made Cane’s Nashville launch so special was how visible These principles were addressed to all customers, influencers and media present.
The energy and enthusiasm of the team at the ribbon cutting ceremony was palpable. The team’s passion for quality food and service was evident in every Combo Box brought to attendees.
And the brand’s sense of community became evident shortly after opening, when Graves joined The Kid LAROI and Harry Hudson to serve food at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.
Raising Cane’s new flagship store is now open at 121 Broadway in Nashville.
